Undone
by undergroundcheshirecat
Summary: After defeating the Labyrinth, Jareth took Sarah's memories of her travels. Now, years later, her memories begin resurfacing on the edges of her dreams.
1. What you want to believe & Remembering

Introduction: What you want to believe  
  
Sarah sighed, and looked out her dorm room window. It was Friday, 11:20 in the morning. Her roommate had already left for the weekend, going back home to visit her boyfriend. Whatever.  
  
Wow, she thought with a shake of her head, it was only a week into the first semester and her roommate already seemed like a homebody. At least it would give her plenty of time to herself over the weekends.  
  
Sarah was entering her second year of study at NYU in theater, and had opted to stay in the dorms for a second year. Her plans at moving into an apartment with her mother were shattered when she had passed away last year in a plane crash. Just thinking about it now nearly brought tears to her eyes, not of sadness, but of an angry bitter sorrowfulness that ate away at her each day. It wasn't fair. But then she had learned a long time ago, that little was. She learned it somewhere, from someone, but the lesson seemed to blur before her eyes.  
  
Damn it! She thought, why is it every time I almost have my feet on the ground and I think things are going to turn right side up, something happens. Always something. When I got accepted here, Karen made sure that my father would offer very little help, relying on the "Our son's future needs to come first." And he had agreed. My father agreed.  
  
Sarah sighed, it was an argument she relived a thousand times in her mind and each time the end result was the same – Karen won, and she was left behind to suffer the divorce that had ripped apart her childhood all over again. It didn't help that every time they fought, Karen relied on fact that Sarah reminded her father so much of her mother – a dark haired beauty with a fiery temper, where as Karen was just the opposite; a doughty pouty blonde who used guilt to get her way. Whenever they fought, that was Karen's ace of spades. Yet despite all of that, Sarah never held anything against her brother, Toby. She loved him more than anyone else. At first she had resented him – resented the fact that he was the tie that made her family weaker, and made Karen's stronger. Somewhere along the line that changed, though. There was something that had made their relationship stronger, something she knew happened, but could never quite recall, something a long time past....Something that always knitted at the edge of her thoughts, just out of reach...a name, maybe...his name.....a wish....a wish to.....  
  
A knock at her door jarred Sarah from her thoughts.  
  
"You goin' to class or you blowin out with the rest of us?" came the joshing question from Liz, her neighbor of two doors down. Sarah had met Liz last year from the same dorm floor and the two had grown close. At least as close as Sarah would anyone come.  
  
"Huh?" Sarah asked, not really having heard the question. She had been so close to remembering. Of course it didn't matter, it was probably all some silly daydream, a concoction carried with her through her turbulent adolescence, brought on by her "overactive imagination", as Karen would have put it.  
  
"Are you going to make class or not? It starts in ten and is across campus. The rest of us, well, me, Kelly, JT, and Travis, are going to take off for upstate for the weekend. Daddy has a place we can stay at. Travis asked if you wanted come, but I said you may want to catch class and......" Liz rambled on for a while, and Sarah's eyes were drawn back out the window, to the rain which had begun to fall gently. A wish. Stupid. "So?"  
  
"Huh? What? Oh, um no, I really should get to this class, I liked the Wednesday lecture and the prof said something about missing Fridays. Plus, you know me, can't miss class. Besides, it's the first week of classes, and well, it just isn't me." It was the truth plain and simple. The professor didn't like class skippers and took attendance, and it was looking to be her favorite elective course of the semester. Not to mention the fact that Sarah was paying her way though with scholarships and loans and a very part-time job and her GPA couldn't slip or she would lose it all.  
  
"You sure? Trav is gonna be totally disappointed. Just between you and me, I think he likes you." Liz winked and waited for Sarah to reply. When she saw Sarah reach for her backpack she piped up "Okay, your loss, talk to you when we get back. But don't be too mad if Trav and I have a bit of fun!" She smiled a warm smile and walked up to Sarah "Hey, just teasin, let me know if you feel like hangin some time. You seem kinda lost in your own world lately. You, uh, doin alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I just can't seem to shake this old.....You know when you try to remember a dream and....and sometimes its right there and....oh god, nevermind. I am just focused on a lot of stuff lately. It's really nothin'. Let's get together when you get back. Thanks for the invite. I gotta run to class. Have a great weekend." With that, Liz turned and left bouncing down the hall yelling "Let's Go!" all the way. Sarah just smiled sadly. She liked Liz, she really did. But she didn't let anyone in, and it was better that way.  
  
She finished popping her stuff into her bag and got ready to hike across campus. Oh well, she would be late, but at least she would make it. As she closed the door, a familiar scent wafted through the air, it was almost intoxicating, but she couldn't place it. She closed her eyes and the scent seemed to engulf her, warm her. She stood dazed, finally opening her eyes after what surely had to be a full minute, and just stood staring at her door, allowing the soothing and sensual odor to cover her body. It was sensual, but so comforting, like a favorite sweater. Looking down at her watch was the only thing that snapped her out of it. 11:35 – class had started five minutes ago!  
  
"Crap!" she yelled through clenched teeth, and took off running down the hall, her bag left resting by her dorm room door.  
  
By the time Sarah reached the hall, she was soaked from the rain, missing her bag, and extremely out of breath. She walked into the hall, the rubber soles of her boots squeaking on the linoleum. She flinched at the noise and pulled her sopping hair back into a ponytail, grimacing as she pulled a little too hard. She reached the lecture room and slid into the row of seats closest to the door. She was only fifteen minutes late, so she would catch most of the lecture and write down the important highlights from memory when she got back. Already it was going to be a long weekend.  
  
The prof looked right at Sarah as he begun to speak. She felt the size of an acorn. "For those of you just joining us," a couple of students turned back to see the drenched Sarah sitting in the last row. She simply sighed and shook her head, looked back up and offered a sheepish smile. "perhaps you can join the discussion. As per the title of the course, we were beginning to look at the psychology of fantasy. What drives a person to create an alternate reality, one of adventure, or romance, or of mystery? You see, history is full of examples of individuals creating realities in which they are the hero, they are adored, and all of these fantasies serve only one purpose, to delude the mind. For example, was Joan of Arc really a hero, or did she create an alternate reality, one in which an Angel spoke with her......"  
  
The professor continued to talk, on and on, about how fantasies were nothing, were delusions of the mind, historic examples and current ones, how these delusions were complex orchestrations of men and women and held no basis in reality. Something inside of her screamed that this was wrong, how could that be? How could having a fantasy be a sign of some mental illness or how was it possible that there was no such thing as a dream come true?  
  
"In conclusion, I would like you all to read chapters six and eight of the text, outlining Freud and Horning's theories of fantasy development and interpretation in the sexual and mental realms of the female psyche. Yes."  
  
Before she had known it, Sarah's hand had shot up into the air. She had to calm herself knowing that an angry scowl was written across her face. She took a deep calming breath. "Yes, um, why is it that you seem to, um, generalize all fantasies as negative or having no base in reality? Isn't it possible there is something out there besides the tangible of this world? I mean, not the tangible, but outside our senses or outside our belief system? Really?" Her voice never wavered while asking the question – despite what this man had said, Sarah's conviction never faltered.  
  
The professor looked sincerely annoyed and began to walk up the aisle towards her. "Ms.?"  
  
"Williams." Sarah replied looking him directly in the eyes and not backing down.  
  
"Do you believe in fairies, fae, demons, angels, things of that nature?"  
  
"I don't see the relevance of what I belive...."  
  
"Goblins, perhaps?"  
  
At that word, Sarah froze and stared into his eyes. They were cold and devoid of imagination. Everything to this man was stark – black or white. He would never wish upon a star, let alone for... for anything else. "And if I did, would I therefore be considered delusional? In need of psychiatric help?"  
  
"Ms. Williams, I did not say that fantasies were a sign of schizophrenic behavior, only that indulging in them, believing them to be reality, would be cause to consider an individual in need of attention, that one may, how shall I put this delicately, be living in their own little world. It is when one gives into the fantasy that they lose base with reality. Do you know the difference between the two? Reality is tangible, harsh, painful, it tests your emotions and forces you to feel. It is real. Fantasy is easy, everyone wins, everything is fair, there is no challenge that cannot be overcome by a magic word or sheer determination." He paused, still staring at her, then shaking his head he began again in a tone that reminded Sarah of how Karen spoke to Toby when he was three – utterly condescending. "Do you see the difference?" He turned on his heal and began to walk back towards the front of the auditorium. "You would do best to learn to distinguish between what is truth and what you want to believe. Class dismissed."  
  
Sarah was fuming. Had she not heard him right? Was he accusing her of delusional behavior? The nerve. Sarah calmed herself, realizing she was probably just being oversensitive again. Fine, she thought to herself, whatever, I need to get back to the room before boom. Thunder rolled outside, and down came the rain. Great. Fantastic, could the day get any better?  
  
It was 12:55 when Sarah left. It was nearly 1:30 when she made it back to the dorm, drenched. She opened the door and walked, dripping, up to the front desk.  
  
"Mail for room 854?" She asked the girl on duty.  
  
She looked at the sopping Sarah "Geez, ever heard of an umbrella? You are getting water everywhere." With a disgruntled huff, she disappeared into the back room. A moment later she reappeared with a few letters, a small brown package, and a magazine. "Here. Next time try not to make such a mess. You know, I am gonna have to....." She kept talking as Sarah walked down the hall to the elevator, her voice growing in volume so Sarah would hear it... "clean this up and it really is impolite to walk away when someone is talking to you!!!" Sarah just cracked a cynical half-smiled to herself, this was not her day.  
  
Back on her floor, Sarah picked up her bag, which was sitting outside her room, opened the door, and peeled off her drenched clothes. Someone must have been burning incense in the room next door, because everything smelled sweet, almost warm, like a fruit of some kind. It was a pleasant smell and as Sarah crawled into her bathrobe and got ready for a shower, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Again, the memories that hung just outside of reach played at her mind. She saw Toby, felt danger, and there was something else, a longing, a feeling of something more, fear mixed with passion.....She shook her head and cleared her thoughts – this had to stop.  
  
Sarah closed the door behind her and headed down the hall to the shower. The floor was nearly empty, it seemed everyone had left for the weekend. Okay, she thought, a long hot shower, and then a short nap, then off to the Den for a drink and a good book. Not much for a Friday night, but then Sarah hadn't had a date in months, and she had convinced herself that she liked it that way. The men around here just didn't interest her. And when her mother had died, her then boyfriend of six months had bailed, saying he couldn't be in a relationship where the other partner needed so much attention – he just wasn't good at being consoling – it isn't you Sarah, it's me – jerk. Whatever, that was in the past. It seemed every guy she ever had been was only interested in how pretty she was and how quickly they could get it on with her. And none of them, not one of them felt right. She shook her head and tried to clear out the same thoughts again, of the someone that should be out there for her. But instead, she had ended up with a boyfriend who had gotten visibly annoyed when she had cried at her mother's funeral.  
  
Sarah let out a halfhearted laugh. It wasn't even that Jake had been that great of a guy, they had been together for six months, that was true, but she maybe saw him all of two of those months. He was obsessed with his art and there was just no room in his life for her. He made that all too clear. Real life was nothing like a fairy tale or fantasy, maybe her professor was right, that if you start to believe in what can never be, there is something wrong with you. Still, a part of her did believe in fairies. Unconsciously, she looked at her finger, and began sucking on the tip, as if she had just been bitten.  
  
I: Remembering  
  
Groggily, Sarah rolled over and blinked the sleep from her eyes, and focused wearily on the alarm clock. It was six thirteen. She could still taste him on her lips – the man from her dream, always there to hold her, or tease her, or tell her some dark secret. She would only remember him for moments now as she fully woke up – but she always savored those fleeting seconds.  
  
And then it was gone. She moaned an annoyed "crud", and eased herself out of bed. She had only meant to lie down for twenty minutes or forty-five at the most. But she had knocked out for over three hours. Oh well, can't cry over spilled milk, she thought, nothing is really fair anyway. She flipped on a light and headed for the closet. She pulled out a beat up pair of low-rise jeans and tossed them on the bed. She pulled out a tight black tank from the dresser and grabbed a pair of fresh socks. She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail as it was still damp, pulled on her jeans and shirt, and managed to find a pair of dry boots. She gave herself a once over in the mirror and picked up her small black wallet. She pocketed it and grabbed an extra band for her hair and wrapped it around her wrist. Jacket in hand she had almost made it out the door when she spied the mail lying on her desk. She rifled through the letters, one from the scholarship department, another for ten free CD's, the newest New York Theater magazine, and a small brown package. She tossed everything else aside and examined the package. It was from Toby. Sarah smiled, that boy always knew how to make her day, what a sweetie, he was growing up so fast. She carefully opened the packaging and pulled out a small note:  
  
To my sis,  
I know you are lonely, and I miss you too. I hope you come home soon.  
This came for you in the mail today. I think the address said  
Illana or something. Mom opened it. I know you don't like it  
when mom goes through your stuff, but she was planning on  
putting all your aminals and bookz away and just tossing this  
out, so I wanted to send you something. Dad helped me pack it  
up, but I writed the letter with his helps. Please come home  
sooon, I miss you.  
Luv u,  
Toby  
  
Sarah smiled quietly down at the scrawled letter. Pretty good for a little guy. She was sure her Dad had helped out, had actually written most, if not all of it, for him – he was a soft touch that way. She wasn't upset by the contents of the letter. Her father had told her that they were planning on turning her old room into a guest suite and that her stuff would go into storage. Karen again. Always was that woman trying to twist things to her liking. She made it seem as though anything that ever went wrong was her fault. Even when her mother had died, Karen refused to offer any condolences, save a cheesey card and a strained hug.  
  
Throwing those thoughts aside, Sarah finished opening the package. It was a small, well used, red leather-bound book. She turned it over in her hands feeling the worn, soft, leather. The gold leaf where the title had been had been rubbed off and the first few pages were tattered and some were missing. She vaguely recalled reading a similar book at one time, its warm binding felt familiar in her hands. She thumbed through the pages, not reading anything, and decided it was the perfect length for an evening of reading. As she closed the book, a tingling sensation surged through her hands. It was the feeling one has when your hands have fallen asleep and need to be woken up. The feeling surged up her arms and encompassed her whole body – and then was gone. "Woah, must not have eaten enough today." Sarah shook her head and focused her eyes "dizzy spell..." Clearing her thoughts, she popped the small book in her back pocket, grabbed her keys, and closed the door. Alright, she thought, only half past seven. She stopped as she walked down the hall. The air no longer smelled sweet. She half frowned, she had really enjoyed the smell and reminded herself to ask around and see who had been burning the incense.  
  
The air was thick, but the rain had stopped, as Sarah walked down the street. The DEN was one of her favorite haunts. Not too many students went there. It was an old theater that had been renovated and turned into a bar/study hang out, but on a Friday night, there would be very few people studying. It had velvet couches, and candles, and there was always soft jazz playing in the background. Thunder rumbled in the distance and Sarah cursed herself for forgetting her umbrella, again. Oh well, she smiled, the desk girl with just have another mess to clean up! Hopefully the rain had tired itself out.  
  
After about ten minutes of walking, Sarah rounded the corner. A small sign hung over the entrance, simply reading "DEN". She stopped short. There sitting above the sign was a pure white owl. It was magnificent. Sarah found herself entranced by its stare – it's piercing stare. She felt, somehow, that she had seen him, she knew it was a him somehow, before. She shook the feeling and started for the door, stopping again to look at the owl perched like a statue above the sign, again it stared at her. Closing her eyes to shut out the strange feelings, she opened the door, flashed her ID, and grabbed a couch in the far corner.  
  
Kicking off her boots, Sarah sprawled out on the sofa. A waitress came over and Sarah quickly ordered a glass of Merlot.  
  
Just one, she thought, that is all I really need. Just one to relax and shake off the day.  
  
The waitress brought the wine, Sarah opened her book, and Sarah remembered.  
  
A few glasses of wine later, Sarah sat bewildered. The words she had spoken herself, mixed with the ones from the small book, flooded her mind. "But the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with her.....I wish the Goblins would come and take you away, right now. The images of goblins, fairies, dwarves and other creatures swirled in her thoughts. She kept reading the passages, unable to stop, searching for him, the one who haunted her dreams, the one who always stayed just inches away from her recollection. Page after page, glass after glass, hour after hour, she read on. He was only referred to as the Goblin King, but she knew there was more, there had to be more, there had to be a name, she had to know his name. What had happened? Had she known him? She had, but how? Toby? I have to rescue Toby! No. Don't be ridiculous – it is just a story. It was just a dream – an Escher-esk dream....just a dream...  
  
Sarah took a deep breath. It was well after one in the morning, the bars would chime up last call in an hour or so, maybe less, time didn't seem to make sense. Her head was spinning. All of those memories she had fought to find opened like the sky and fell upon her like stinging raindrops. Why, why had the Goblin King taken these thoughts from her? She knew in her heart that it wasn't a dream – he was real, the Goblin King was real – he was no delusional fantasy. She had to finish reading. She turned the page and stopped. Everything became clear. All of the walls crumbled and she knew.  
  
"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my here to castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child that you have stolen. Though my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great..........."  
  
Sarah looked up, her eyes welling with tears, her voice small, almost a whisper, "You have no power over me."  
  
"What?" Came the question from the waitress.  
  
Shocked, Sarah jumped and turned and faced the young woman. "Oh, sorry, I uh, was, God, oh man, just um, rehearsing a play. That's all."  
  
"Yeah, sure. You want another drink, or is that it. Last call."  
  
"Last call? It's only...." Sarah looked at her watch, 2:30. "Oh, uh, no, I guess not."  
  
"Okay, that will be $57.50 then."  
  
"What? You're kidding, I only had two..." Sarah looked again, there were four empty glasses of wine on the table. And one still three quarters full that she felt green just looking at. She had been there for hours, but it was still a lot of wine for Sarah. "Right. You take Visa?"  
  
The waitress took the card and left. Well, Sarah thought that would explain the dizziness. She signed the slip of paper the waitress brought back and made sure she left a decent tip. She shook off the tears that had found their way down her cheek, signed the slip, clutched her book and exited the DEN under the watchful eye of a white owl who had not moved.  
  
It was pouring. The rain was warm against Sarah's body, but she was still drenched and shaking. The dizziness was getting worse and the only way to steady herself was to stare at the ground and keep walking. She held the book under her jacket, close to her heart, away from the rain. Her head was spinning. Why now? Why remember now? Everything flooded back to her in wave after wave, image followed jumbled image, and always a voice in the background edging her on....What's said is said......I have turned the world upside down......Look what I am offering you.....  
  
Sarah looked up from her walking, she should have been back at the dorms by now, but she wasn't. She was far past where the dorms were and into some area of campus devoted to sports. "Shit!" she mumbled, it was too dark to really get her bearings and she didn't often visit this part of campus – preferring the theaters and museums to garish intensity of college games. She looked around. Nothing seemed familiar, even though she knew she had seen it before on the campus tour.  
  
Lost, wet, head spinning from wine and emotions building that she couldn't place, she stood in the middle of a small field until her knees gave and she fell to them, splashing mud onto her pale face. She angrily wiped it off and let out a guttural growl, frustrated at her own stupidity for getting lost.  
  
"What is it you want from me? Where are you?"  
  
As if in reply, lightning flashed and thunder pounded against the night sky so hard, Sarah thought the sky itself would fall. Lightning flashed again, and then she saw it. Sitting on a post, was the owl – the same white owl from the DEN – just staring at her.  
  
Shakily she rose to her feet and walked toward the pole – the owl stared barely five feet from her. Warily she approached. "God Sarah," she mumbled, "If anyone saw you right now they would swear you were insane, afraid of an owl," She steeled herself and renewed her step until she was only a few feet away. She stared at it hard – stared into its, his, eyes – they were not the eyes of bird, but of man, or something more than a man, mismatched, sensual eyes stared into her own. A name pierced her thoughts – Jareth – and she whispered it, knowing now, it was him.  
  
They stared at one another, so many emotions passing between the owl and the woman – so many questions, so many feelings, so many things that needed to be said, so much hurt, so much deep hurt. She stepped closer – anger, sadness, desire, passion, all swirling in her thoughts. She began to ask a thousand questions, but always stopped short, stopped by the thought that maybe this was just an owl, but the wine and her memories told her the bird was so much more. Rain continued to pelt her hair, but she didn't care – "Why have you, why did you...."  
  
Without warning, the owl took flight and was gone.  
  
Gone.  
  
Sarah stood there alone, in the dark and in the rain, mouth slightly opened to ask questions that would never fall, questions left unanswered. Tears welled at the edges of her eyes and mixed with the falling rain. A dense and deep anger swelled inside of her, surging to the surface. Why, why bring me so close only to toy with me, you bastard! Why, why would you do this again? Are you even real? Yes, you have to be. Why would you do it again? No, not this time – NOT THIS TIME!! She backed away from the post, turned and ran to the center of the field. Her head spun from the wine and confusion, but she didn't care. She fumbled with the zipper on her jacket and pulled out the tattered book. She opened the Labyrinth, but already knew what she was looking for – she didn't need it, but somehow, it justified her actions, made them real and not fantasy – she stared strait into the night sky, lightning nearly blinding her and thunder crashing all around her. The pages were drenching even as she spoke.  
  
"Jareth, why? Why?" She stopped, fully taking in the words she was about to say – if she said them and they didn't work, was she a lunatic? Did it mean all of this was imagined? No, it meant he would he just reject her, push her out of all thought again. Make her forget and forget her. That was her punishment for winning. They would work though, the words had worked before and would work again.....Staring into the rain once more she screamed the words, ensuring that the Goblin King and his minions would hear her "I wish the Goblins would come and take me away – Right NOW!"  
  
Nothing. Lightning flashed and the only sound that tortured her ears was her own breathing and patronizing patter of the rain about her.  
  
Only the thunder accompanied her into her sorrow as the dizziness overtook her. "Damn you, Jareth. Damn you." Sarah fell to the ground and wept quietly as the rain fell upon her back, soaking her though, and mixing with her tears as they fell from bloodshot eyes. "Damn you." All of it poured out of her, her fear, anger, confusion, it all fell to the ground to mix with the rain. Sarah closed her eyes and wept and everything went dark. Only the thunder accompanied her into sleep. Thunder, and the eyes of an Owl. 


	2. More Questions

I don't own any part of the Labyrinth or it's characters.  
  
II: More Questions  
  
Generous? What have you done that was generous? Everything you have done has been for you!  
  
No...  
  
Yes – you took him!  
  
You asked that he be taken.  
  
You refused to give him back.  
  
You wanted a fairy tale.  
  
You nearly killed me!  
  
I never would have allowed harm to come to you....Sarah....you were never in any real danger.  
  
No – Don't touch me! You robbed me of my friends, of my victory, of what I felt for.....what I could have felt for....no...you twisted my emotions, I was a plaything for you, and then you stole my memory, how could you?  
  
It had to be done. If you would have been allowed to remember, the consequences could have been disastrous........Sarah, I did it because....it had to be done...it had to be done....  
  
The dream ended and Sarah sat bolt up in bed. And quickly laid her head back down as the throbbing began to beat against her forehead. Her damp hair clung to her face, but she didn't care, her bed felt fantastic this morning. She stretched out on the exquisitely soft blankets – she was so warm and clean and the bed felt huge and the room was pleasantly pitch black. She must have pulled the shade, but she didn't recall. She didn't recall undressing either....she didn't recall making it back to the dorm....or crawling into bed.....or much of anything from the night before, except for eyes........  
  
Realization slowly began to creep in. She had been at the DEN, she had a lot to drink, which explained her headache, then she got lost and had called for him. He hadn't come. "Stupid girl, what were you thinking?" Sarah held her head in her hands. She decided she must have blacked out and gotten home, well, somehow. She pulled off the blanket, a blanket that felt incredibly thick, and reached for the light on her nightstand, but grabbed only air. "Huh?" She tried again and nothing. Fear began to play at the edges of her mind. "Calm down Sarah." She took a deep breath and hopped out of bed, and fell flat on her face. "Ow" she moaned, realizing her bed was far higher than it should have been. "Okay, maybe I had way too much to drink....but what the he...." The door opened then and a light from a lantern being carried by a thin, lovely woman illuminated the room.  
  
"Sofe illus," the woman spoke the words and the soft glow of the lantern spread throughout the chamber, engulfing everything in a warm, gentle white light.  
  
Sarah stood in amazement, her eyes wide. The room she stood in was probably the largest bedroom she had ever been in. The bed alone, decked in deep red velvet and brushed satin comforters and drapings, was larger than a king size. Next to the bed was a magnificent dresser, covered in brushes, jewelry, hair adornments, and a fantastic mirror. On the other side, a large wardrobe, which easily could house a hundred dresses, loomed. Near the door, an ornate mirror hung, with gilded sides. There were double doors near the wardrobe which opened into a large bathing room, complete with an oversized bath tub and adorned with colored glass windows. And the tapestries. Throughout the main chamber, three tapestries hung depictings faries, unicorns, elves, fae, two on either side and one above the main door. Above the door, a beautiful castle lay in the background of the tapestry, and a dark haired maiden in a flowing cream gown lay on a bed of flowers. It nearly made her want to cry, it was a scene she had seen a thousand times before in her dreams, only, it wasn't quite right........  
  
"Ahem."  
  
Sarah jumped. She had forgotten all about the delicate woman?  
  
"Would my lady care to dress for the mid day meal?"  
  
Looking down at her naked body, Sarah moved to cover herself. The slender woman however proved the quicker. She placed the now darkened lantern down upon the table and moved to hand the blushing lady a robe.  
  
Sarah took the clothing quickly and wrapped herself in the luxurious folds.  
  
"There now, how are you feeling?" the woman looked at Sarah with pale blue eyes that showed a deep concern for her well being. She was thin, to the point of being almost frail. Her raven hair hung in rolling waves down her back and past her waist. Thick blue strands of hair were interwoven among the black curls. She wore a fine silver ringlet around her forehead and was dressed very simply, yet very elegantly, in a pale blue silken dress, gathered about her chest in a princess style.  
  
"I, I don't know. Where am I? How is this possible? What exactly is going on? Who, how, I, I...Who are you and how do you know me?" anger crept into Sarah's voice. Her suspicions were growing but her rational mind refused to believe it.  
  
She had been kidnapped and taken back. But back where? Her mind was still piecing together the memories that had been ripped from it. It was as if she were trying to remember a dream, but had been awake for far too long. If only it would come back to her.  
  
Sarah opened her mouth as if to ask a thousand questions, the pain in her eyes eliciting a saddened face from her new caretaker.  
  
"Shhh." The lady reached up to Sarah's lips and quieted her. "Rest, child. I am Areyne. Allow me to assist you in any way that I can. I assure you, you are in no danger, in fact, far from it." Areyne eased the bewildered Sarah into a chair near the dresser and began to run her fingers through her hair. She picked up a brush and some jewels and in no time, Sarah was relaxing and allowing this woman to adorn her hair. "As I said child, I am Areyne of the Darken Fae. It was not I who brought you here, but rather one of my oldest and dearest friends. There now," Areyne finished her hair and Sarah turned to the mirror, again her mouth fell open. She looked beautiful, her hair held up loosely with deep amethysts. "He is anxious to meet with you."  
  
"I don't understand," again the anger rose in her voice, "this is all a little crazy...How did I get here? Where is here?" Sarah asked as Areyne led her to the armoir.  
  
"Sarah, I thought you wished to be here, in the Underground. If you did not, then there is no way he could have brought you here." Areyne stated matter-of-factly as she chose a deep lilac dress to compliment the jewels in Sarah's hair.  
  
"Wish? I...." Sarah, mouth agape, realized then that she had wished herself here. Last night, in the storm. Fear and panic spread across her face. "Is he here?" she asked with a voice that was riddled with confusion, hope, and anger.  
  
"Of whom do you speak?" Areyne asked, leading Sarah to the bed to sit. Areyne was growing concerned about the panic upon the young woman's face. She moved to a basin and quickly filled a simple crystal glass with water and offered it to her. Perhaps, thought Areyne, there was something or someone from her past here that she feared, some beast or other.  
  
The question slipped from Sarah's lips "Who brought me back to the Underground?"  
  
"Jareth." 


	3. Regret

I don't own any part of the Labyrinth or it's characters.  
  
III: Regret  
  
Sarah's eyes widened and the glass slipped from her hand.  
  
"Kot!" Areyne spoke the word moments before the glass hit the floor. The glass stood where it was suspended in mid-air. She quickly scooped it up and set it on the dressing chest then returned to tend the obviously shocked young woman.  
  
"Sarah, what is it? Are you feeling ill?"  
  
"Ill doesn't begin to describe what I feel. Leave me alone." Sarah pushed Areyne away and hopped off of the bed. "Where are my clothes? The one's I came in? Where are they damnit!" Tears began to well in her eyes as she opened drawers and doors looking for her cloths. Areyne simply watched.  
  
"He can't do it again! I won't let him!" she spun to face the shocked Areyne "I am not some damn toy that he can just call here for his games. Hell, I don't even remember all of it because he denied me that! All I know is he didn't give a damn about my brother, me, our safety, my friends, how I felt about...about anything" Sarah fell to her knees, she was exhausted. Areyne walked over and put her arms around the weeping girl.  
  
"Now now, don't cry, shhhhh, it will all be explained, and everything will be right." Sarah's sobs eased some and she looked into Areyne's eyes. "He cannot just bring you here. He has no power over you unless you give it to him. You asked that he bring you here, and he did, Sarah, but not to hurt you. This I promise you." The genuine concern in her voice calmed the shaking Sarah.  
  
Sarah stared at Areyne bewildered. When she found her voice, it was little more than a whisper "He took my memory. I wanted to remember this place, my friends, my victory.....him" Sarah gritted her teeth as she said the last word, but not out of anger, out of something far deeper, out of regret. So long ago she had made the decision to leave, but it had been the only decision to make. There were no other choices, no other choices that she could have considered, were there? Her dreams or her brother....the Goblin King would have accepted no less. In thirteen hours, all of her dreams and fantasies had come true, and within a second, they had been shattered by her own voice. No, don't be stupid, she thought as she shook her head and stood up from the floor, there was no other way, he had bullied her into the Labyrinth only to toy with her physically and emotionally and to try and keep her brother. He had never once felt anything for her, so why should she believe for one moment that she may have felt something more than loathing and curiosity towards him? And if he really felt nothing for her, then why was she now back in the very castle she had fought so hard to leave? With a steele in her eye that was not matched by her nerve, she faced Areyne, "Why am I here?"  
  
Areyne took hold of Sarah's hand, "You know very well things are not always what they seem. Sarah, do you remember the first time Jareth came to you?" Sarah stared into the Fae's eyes, and nodded slowly, barely able to recall night in it's entirety. "You stood before a mirror and said 'the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl,' do you remember? All of this was prepared for your stay in the Underground." Sarah's breath nearly stopped....  
  
And with those thoughts, she turned away from Areyne, wiping her eyes to make sure her make-up was perfect. "It isn't possible. If he had, why did he take my memories of him? I want to see him, now." And with that, Sarah headed toward the door, not even waiting for Areyne.  
  
It wasn't until she nearly opened the door that she realized she was still in the robe Areyne had first given her when she walked in. "Right. Um, after I get dressed." Sarah walked back and allowed Areyne to help her into the gown. It was a fabulous fit, if a bit tight in the bodice, and the colors seemed to breath as she walked. Sarah had never felt more beautiful – but her nerves would not let her enjoy the moment. "Alright – now let's go." And she left for the door, opening it and leaving.  
  
Watching her leave, Areyne smiled sadly, "You poor girl, you don't understand. He never meant to hurt you, only to give you your dreams. He loves you," Areyne let out a quiet laugh, "and for all your bravado, you fell in love with him. You just can't admit it. Not yet. The pain of not understanding and the regret of choosing a life without magic is still to close to your heart." Closing the door behind her, Areyne walked swiftly to catch up to Sarah, who had no idea where she was going or what she was in for. 


	4. Stark Raving Mad

I don't own any part of the Labyrinth or it's characters.  
  
IV: Stark Raving Mad  
  
"This way." Areyne led Sarah through the twisting corridors of the castle. Sarah stared at the marble walls and gold etched portraits, the vases full of flowers and the tapestries that adorned the hallways. Her mouth nearly touched the floor, she was so aghast. "Is something the matter, my lady?"  
  
Sarah jumped. She had barely been paying attention to Areyne and was merely following her blindly. She turned to face her, a look of complete bewilderment coming over her face. "Areyne," she began, "not that you would know, I mean how could you really, but....is this the same castle that is beyond the goblin city? Beyond the Labyrinth?"  
  
Areyne simply looked at Sarah as though she didn't understand. "Of course it is child. It is the castle of the Goblin King." Sensing Sarah's complete disbelief she simply said "Come, you will see." She led Sarah a nearby set of double doors, opened them and stood out on the balcony. Down below was a thriving community of goblin kin. Somehow, it looked far different than what Sarah had remembered. "That is Gonarish – the capital Goblin city of the fifth kingdom. Outside of the Labyrinth, and even within, are other smaller communities." Seeing Sarah's confusion Areyne continued. "Within the Underground, there are five kingdoms, each ruled over by a queen, king or ruling house. For thousands of centuries, there were but four kingdoms, the elvish kingdom, tirean kingdom, the beastial kingdom, and wild kingdom. This land was known as the Outlands – it was considered to harsh for the fairer kin. Each division of the underground housed multiple cities or, well, habitats I suppose you would call them, for different communities. For example, within the elvish kingdom lived the fae, fairies, elves, and woodland dwelling creatures and within the beastial kingdom resided the beasts, knights, and nomadic peoples. The wild kingdom housed the equis, tiberlains, the fearlix and others. There came a time where certain creatures and people became overwhelming. There was no organization to the lifestyle of goblins and firies and the like, as you may well know. Many suggestions were thrown out on how to deal with the ever-growing chaos that these creatures were causing. Many suggestions were given, on how to deal with the problem, banishment, incorporation, and some far harsher ideas with dark intent. Finally, Jareth's house stepped forward and offered to create a, haven if you will, for goblin and the chaotic kin. Therefore, it was resolved to create a fifth kingdom. Within the kingdom reside the Goblins, firies, lundins, and others who did not find a suitable home within the other kingdoms. It was not banishment by any means, these kin are free to stay or to leave as they wish. Many have just found the fifth kingdom to be more of a home than they have ever known. The Labyrinth has the ability to alter its internal environment to suit its creator's desires, and what he desires is a home for others. This is the fifth kingdom, Sarah. Its ruler and its inhabitants hold as much sway and power as the other four, and more so even, because of its king."  
  
Sarah thought on all that had been said for a moment before asking "Why isn't the fifth kingdom ruled by a Goblin?"  
  
Areyne nearly fell over laughing. "My dear Sarah, you have seen the nature of Goblins, they live not for governing and order, but for satisfaction alone. They are neither malicious nor cruel but rather are benine and innocent creatures. If they were left to their own devices, others may take advantage of them, using them in armies as fodder or may outright destroy them. Here," she gestured out to the kingdom and beyond "they find refuge and community – they live productive and happy lives within the fifth kingdom, and they are protected and accepted." Seeing the look of confusion on Sarah's face, Areyne pressed "Why do you look so confused? Is it something I said?"  
  
Sarah turned her view from the city to look deep into Areyne's eyes "It just.....it didn't look like this before. It looked dirty and angry and everything was a mess...I just don't understand. I mean, well what I mean is, he does turn children into goblins. I am just so confused."  
  
Areyne looked upon Sarah with eyes that seemed to know the world "Things are not always what they seem here, Sarah." She paused at Sarah's exasperated expression regarding being told again, that things are not always what they seem. "Sarah, perhaps you saw what you wanted to see and not what was really here all along."  
  
Sarah half smiled and uttered "I hope I was wrong about more than that..."  
  
"I hope so as well, child. Now, come, I must take you to the main audience hall. He should be waiting for you. And you must be ravenous."  
  
"Actually, not at all."  
  
And with those words, Areyne closed the balcony doors and the two continued down the hall. Within a few moments they stood before a set of ornate double doors, carved with an intricate design, one Sarah had seen before, somewhere.  
  
As if reading her mind Areyne said "This design is the insignia of the ruling house of the fifth kingdom. Within these chambers you are safe, no harm will come to you. This is the formal audience chamber of the King." Areyne turned on her heel then and began to down another hallway, leaving Sarah standing before the imposing doors.  
  
"Wait!" Sarah called, a bit of apprehension creeping into her voice. "What am I supposed to do?"  
  
Without turning back to face her, Areyne replied "Go in." and then she rounded a corner.  
  
"Right, go in. Yeah, like it's that easy." Steeling herself for the worst, Sarah took a deep breath. How bad could it be, right? I mean, I could walk in and he could toy with me, torture me, make run the gauntlet all over again....perfect. Come on Sarah, he has no power over you – you are just going to sit down, eat something, and tell him to take you back – that's it – right – simple – easy – I think I am gonna throw up.  
  
Shaking off her woosey feeling, Sarah pushed upon the large doors. Surprising her, they opened easily, revealing the most ornate and beautiful room Sarah had ever seen, which seemed to happen quite often in this place. She stood, mouth agape, as she stared at the ceiling – or lack of a ceiling – as it was completely open to the sky. The walls and floor were all polished marble and the pillars within the chamber were painted with creatures and scenes right out of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Rich blue draping hung upon the many windows and Sarah realized that neither the ceiling nor windows held any glass and that magic must have protected the room from the elements. As she spun in place, absorbing the majestic beauty of the room her eyes eventually settled upon the throne, and the man sitting in it. He was not at all as Sarah had remembered. His shoulder length black hair hung about his thin face, and wild purple and silver whisps arose from random places, giving his hair a life of its own. He smiled at her, a wicked half cocked smug grin, as she stared at him. He recognized the confusion on her face, and it only pleased him more. He slowly rose to his feet, and Sarah took in his entire stature. He was handsome, there was no denying that, but he frightened her, chilled her beyond anything she had ever known.  
  
The man, could this be Jareth from her dreams – were her visions that foggy, stood to his full height, well over six feet and began to slowly saunter towards Sarah. He was dressed in tight black pants and riding boots that came nearly up to his thighs. His deep purple silk shirt was completely open revealing a well-muscled and tan body beneath. As he approached, Sarah's breath caught in her throat. His eyes matched his shirt nearly perfectly. They were the deepest, most penetrating violet she had ever seen, and they stared straight back into hers with an intensity that turned the chill she had felt, to ice. This could not be Jareth.  
  
He stood directly in front of her, gazing down at her with those violet orbs. He began to circle her, running a hand down her neck to the middle of her back. She hadn't realized just how deeply her dress plunged in the back, and now she regretted that Areyne had chosen it. Sarah wanted to run, wanted to scream, but too much had happened too fast and she was confused and paralyzed with fear. He leaned in close to her neck and breathed deeply "Mmmmm, yes" he purred "I can see why he wanted you back." He finished circling her and now stood facing her, his face very close to her "You smell divine, my pet," he reached to touch her face. In a split second Sarah's hand was up slapping his away. Anger boiled inside her, an anger she hadn't felt in so long. "Yes, that's it, let it come," he whispered as his wicked smile grew.  
  
"Get the hell away from me! How dare you think you have any right to touch me!" In response, the dark man merely bowed and backed away a few paces, never once taking his eyes from her.  
  
"Don't forget, my pet, you are in my world now, I can do whatever I please. Yes, and you please me." He slid closer again, "I can certainly see why he desires your presence so. I most certainly do.  
  
Sarah's hand was up in an instant and streaked across his face, connecting with a crack that resounded loudly though out the chamber. She stepped back, glaring at this man who dared speak so bluntly towards her.  
  
Blood ran down the man's cheek. He slowly turned to look back at her, a wicked smile curling at his lips, his long tongue snaking out to lick at the trickling thick red liquid as it passed near his mouth. "Yes, I certainly can see why...."  
  
Sarah stared hard at the man before her. In as calm a voice as she could manage, she asked "Who are you?"  
  
With that simple question, the wicked grin tuned to an angry visage, one that turned all of the calm strength Sarah had mustered, into a primal need to fight or flee.  
  
"I," he stated with a cynical half laugh, "am the cousin to the ruler of the fifth kingdom, cousin by marriage, not by blood. My name, my pet, is Stark. And I am the heir apparent to the fourth kingdom. Impressed?" He began to walk toward her, his eyes boring into hers. Sarah stood her ground with her jaw set as he approached.  
  
"Enough!"  
  
The word echoed through the chamber and Stark winced visibly at the sound of his cousin's voice.  
  
"What in all of the five kingdoms are you doing in my chamber, Stark? Shouldn't you be elsewhere doing whatever it is you do? Better yet, shouldn't you have left by now? I told you I would have no audience with you." The anger in Jareth's voice was enough to make Stark shrink back. Sarah looked past the fearful Stark and her heart nearly stopped beating. Standing upon the throne dias was Jareth. Jareth, dressed in black pants and riding boots, a white silken shirt open to his mid chest, his signature amulet hanging visibly around his neck and black gloves adorning his hands. Oh, God, he was real. Jareth – the name stuck in her throat as through her heart were beating the name. His pale face was as she had only recently remembered, but just as she had dreamed for years. His wild hair framed his face, a visage that currently could have frightened anything living. A deep resounding anger flashed in his mismatched eyes, but it was not an anger that Sarah feared, for somewhere, deep in her mind, she knew he would never, could never do her any physical harm.  
  
"Just leaving, you majesty. I assume we shall discuss our political matters at a later time. Perhaps this evening."  
  
"There is nothing to discuss, I only humor you out of respect for your mother. Now go."  
  
Stark walked passed Sarah and as he did so, leaned in and breathed deeply. "I do so love your scent, pet."  
  
Jareth was on Stark in an instant, standing less than an inch away from him, but putting himself between Stark and Sarah. "Out Now! Do not try my patience again. You are a guest in my kingdom, you would do well to remember that."  
  
"Of course, your majesty. Good Day, pet." And with an exuberant bow, Stark exited the double doors. Jareth turned to face Sarah.  
  
A long moment passed after the doors slammed shut behind Sarah and Jareth. But neither one turned, neither one moved, neither one heard the door close, neither one cared. They simply stared at one another, taking each other in, not knowing where to begin. 


	5. A Beginning

I don't own any part of the Labyrinth or it's characters.  
  
V: A Beginning  
  
"Damn him, damn him, damn HIM!" Stark paced his guest chambers restlessly, throwing things and then reconstructing them with magic and then throwing them again. "How dare he treat me with such disrespect! After everything – how dare he!" Stark laid down upon his bed, thoughts of sticking a pike through Jareth's heart racing through the dark and twisting passages of his mind. Yes, ridding the world of Jareth would be perfect – ridding the fifth kingdom – Stark's kingdom – of that one would be most pleasurable.  
  
It wasn't enough, no not enough, that Jareth had championed the little dirty buggers, no, but he had convinced the council that the outlands would be a suitable kingdom for the goblins. Stark had once held plans for the outlands – he wanted to create his own fifth kingdom – not through the council's approval of course, but through force. He had planned to use the goblins to overtake the outlands and set up his own ruling government. Once in power, and with the loyal support of a certain council member, he would have been able to overtake other kingdoms and become the single ruling power of the underground. Yet fate had not been with him, Jareth had requested the outlands before Stark had enough influence over the babbling goblins and Jareth had almost immediately been granted the rights. So, Stark was sent back to the fourth kingdom to act as heir under his mother. This, more than nearly anything, enraged Stark. He had hoped to gain Jareth's help at first, when that had failed, he had hoped to at least gain his trust and to work his deceit from the inside, when that had failed, he sought to appeal to Jareth's generous nature and request to be a governing power under him within the fifth kingdom, even if it was only in an outlying township. But Jareth had blatently refused this last audience and dismissed Stark as if he were nothing.  
  
But as he sat enraged at the thought of once again being sent home without an audience with the great lord of the goblins – another image came to his mind – "Yes, my little pet. You may be just the undoing I require." He laughed, a dreadfully deep and sadistic laugh, as thoughts formed from the darkness of his mind.  
  
Endless moments passed as the two stared at each other. It was as if all time had ended and the world had fallen away from them. Her eyes met his mismatched orbs and confusion volleyed itself against her reason. He was here, before her once again, but why? To offer to her her dreams, or to steal them again? Frozen there, within reach was the Goblin King and frozen in time was Sarah, confused and angry.  
  
Jareth finally broke the silence, his voice full of warmpth "I don't know how to begin." His entire demeanor radiated a gentle sadness.  
  
"You could begin with an apology, you bastard." The words leapt from Sarah's throat before she could stop them, and parlayed his warmpth with ice.  
  
Jareth stopped. His calm and gentle manner dissolved before her in an instant, replaced with the image she recalled from her first journey through the Labyrinth – one of arrogance, power, sensuality, strength and pride. A chill ran down Sarah's spine, but she stared him down, unafraid. Jareth straightened his posture and walked back to his throne.  
  
"An apology? I owe you no such thing and you deserve far less than I have given you. I have always done what you have asked Sarah, always. You asked that I take your brother, I took him. You asked to take on the challenge of my Labyrinth, I gave you that – far more than that. You turned away my gifts and I did not force them on to you – though I could have." His voice was tauntingly cold. "I played the role you assigned me in your little fairy tale fantasy" anger crept into his voice "and still you rebuked my kindness." With a pause and a sigh, he continued, noticing that his outburst had little effect on the defiant woman before him "I brought you here again, when you wished it, causing no harm to you. I....."  
  
"You stole my memories." Her voice was soft but stern and that one phrase slapped Jareth across the face for an instant, but he quickly recovered. "How do you explain that, Your Highness? Was it your generosity that cost me the memory of my victory, my friends, my time in the Labyrinth?" Sarah's resolve nearly faltered at that point, and tears began to well in her eyes, but they did not fall.  
  
"So, that is all you ever cared about, all you wanted to remember – your victory. I see. Well, it is good to finally know the truth Sarah."  
  
"How dare you! Did you take one moment, one single moment to think of what you were taking from me? That you were taking everything from me?"  
  
"Everything?" He was walking toward her again, his strides long, his voice angered "You do not know what it is to have everything shattered!" He stood before her again, but Sarah did not move.  
  
She looked up into the enraged king's eyes, "You took away my dreams. You took away my dreams of..." Sarah's cheeks flushed and she turned her face to the floor, admitting in her mind what she could not admit with words.  
  
"I offered you your dreams and you refused them." He turned his back to her and began to walk towards the doors.  
  
"You took away my memories of...you."  
  
Jareth stopped. Sarah turned away completely, embarrassed and angered at what she had said, of what she had admitted. That Jareth had not been some monster, he had been the image of her desire and that he had fulfilled every fantasy she had ever created. The confusion and frustration welled inside her, replacing her anger. She was tired, with a deep breath, she turned back to face him. "All I wanted, more than anything else, was to remember you." All of the memories and emotions that had flooded her conscious mind in the last few days were too much – somewhere, between dreaming and reality, she had recalled her time here, but it had always been too far out of her reach, too far removed from her conscious mind. To have it all handed back to her, to be here again, to remember everything was too much. She closed her eyes and turned her back to Jareth once again, allowing the tears to finally fall.  
  
Sarah felt a hand upon her shoulder, but she did not turn. "It had to be done. You could never understand." Jareth's words held anger, but not towards Sarah, toward something else.  
  
Turning back to face him, unashamed of her tear stained cheeks, she defiantly stared into his eyes "I will never understand, unless you tell me." He stared back at her, and she never faltered in her gaze. "I am not the child who once walked the halls of a Labyrinth, frightened and angry. Jareth, please. Try to explain." Jareth shook his head and stepped away, he looked up to the sky and then back at the beauty before him.  
  
Jareth laughed softly "Sarah I could never deny you anything. If you wish to know, then so be it, but, please, know that no harm will come to you by my hand. If ever I had meant to hurt you, it would have passed already." He stood beside her again and whispered "Comfare telenoct". Before Sarah could respond with a confused 'what' the two were in a smaller, more conversational, room. "This is my study, Sarah. We can talk more freely here."  
  
The room was plush, to say the least. Three of the walls were adorned with bookshelves, containing books, bottles, maps, papers, and oddities of all sorts. There was a desk on the fourth wall and near it was a small table and two velvet cushioned chairs. The entire room was lit by a candle-like glow and the carpeting was a rich burgundy that seemed to alter its shade as the observer moved position. The room was large, and Sarah noticed that in one of the shelves was a cabinet full of beautiful glass bottles and all kinds and glasses. Strewn about the room were lush pillows, she assumed for sitting or sleeping on if the case called for it. She noticed there was no door, no way out.  
  
Sarah turned on Jareth with fear rising in her eyes. As if reading her thoughts he simply replied, "This place is safe for us to talk. No one can enter without my permission and no one can overhear our conversation. If you wish to leave," Jareth placed a pendant in her hands, it's centerpiece a perfect sapphire oval, "Simply say where it is you would like to go. And when you would like to return, you are free to do so at any time. You are the only other person now with access to my study." As if that had answered all of her questions and solved all of the swirling insecurities of Sarah's mind, Jareth walked over to the cabinet and pulled out an iridescent bottle and two glasses. "Please, sit." And he motioned to one of the chairs near the table. Sarah sat and Jareth poured two glasses of a deep ruddy colored liquid and placed one in front of Sarah. The odor that wafted up to Sarah's nose was familiar and warm, but she couldn't place it again – like the odor from the dorm, the scent hung just outside of her memory.  
  
"Sarah, what do you remember from the last time you were here?"  
  
Sarah paused and looked into eyes, sadness and regret reading plainly across her expression. It pained Jareth to see her like this, but there really had been no other choice. "Yesterday, I think it was yesterday, I began to remember small things, images and feelings really, nothing tangible – you saw to that. But as of this morning, more and more is coming back, I think I can recall nearly everything....nearly, there are still some things that nip at the back of my mind, things I want to recall, but can't. But why, Jareth? Why deny me my memories for so long only to give them back to me now? If I leave, will you take them again? I just, Jareth, why?"  
  
Jareth stood a long moment thinking before he replied and when he did, his voice was as stern and cautious as Sarah had ever heard. "I say this now, and I ask that you let me finish. Do not interrupt, just hear me out. These are not excuses, just the plain, if harsh, truths." He took a sip from his glass, and then set it down on the table, "Sarah, I did what had to be done. The council of the kingdoms demanded that I take them from you after you refused my offer to stay. If I had not taken them, they would have, and the council would not have been as kind about it as I. There are rules in the Underground – rules which, for our safety, cannot ever be broken. The Aboveground is not to know of our existence except for in that place between sleeping and waking," his voice changed, and he looked at her for a instance "that is where I would come to visit you all of these years. As often as I could I would come to you and let you remember..." He began to reach towards her face, but stopped short. "To let you recall just a touch of what I had taken from you. But I never showed you my face, never let you recall me..." Jareth's voice shifted again, he drank from his glass and sat across from her. Clearing his throat, he began again, "If I had allowed the council to take your memories, you would have lost far more than your recollection of those thirteen hours and of me, you would have lost your dreams and fantasies, your desire for something more than Aboveground." He looked deep into her eyes. Sarah's heart began to beat quickly, pounding inside her chest, tears welling up in her eyes. Jareth placed an open hand on the table "Everything I did, I did for you, because of you. I never meant to harm you – I thought, you despised me after you refused my offer to stay, but never did I mean to harm you. It was the only way to spare you – had the council gone through Sarah, I am sorry for the pain I caused you, in my eagerness to please you, I did not know that I was hurting you."  
  
With a sigh, Jareth leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He looked tired, as if the weight of the world had just been lifted from his shoulders. Sarah sat silent and pondered everything he had just told her. Her mind reeled – could she believe him? Should she? Why would he lie? She found herself believing his words, believing in him. But fear still lurked at the edges of her mind, it would take time to trust him.  
  
"I understand." Sarah said quietly. Jareth looked up slowly – his eyes meeting hers – a look of cautious hope outlined his features. "I understand," Sarah repeated, "but this will take time, and I don't know where to go from here, I don't know if I can trust you, yet. I don't...I don't want to leave yet. Jareth, I...." Her words trailed off into nothing as she placed her hand inside his. "I want to trust you."  
  
Jareth smiled quietly and raised a glass "To a beginning."  
  
Sarah raised hers and they drank.  
  
So the two sat alone, in silence, staring into each other's souls as the world fell down around them. 


	6. The Past Revisited

I don't own any part of the Labyrinth or it's characters.  
  
VI: The Past Revisited  
  
Areyne stepped lightly down the hallway. She had hoped all went well with Sarah and Jareth. He loved her, that much was clear, but Areyne didn't know if Sarah could get beyond the hurt that Jareth had inflicted upon her. More than three hours had passed and it was nearly time for dinner. "Goddess be with you, Jareth. I hope she understands." Areyne whispered, and she opened the door to her chambers. She stopped dead.  
  
"Alo my Angel." Stark purred. He was laid out on his back on her bed, with his head over the side. "Where have you been hiding yourself?" He rolled over and propped his head up with his hands.  
  
"Leave, Stark. There is nothing to discuss between us. Your reason for being here was to discuss your governing possibilities with his Majesty. Your audience with him was denied. Your audience with me is also denied. Leave now." Areyne stepped fully into the room, but left the door wide. When Stark made no movement to leave, Areyne spoke again "Do not force me to call the guards Stark – leave."  
  
"You know, Areyne, I wasn't always greeted by such hostility. There was a time you would have begged me to stay in your bed just a bit longer." Stark licked his lips and stared at the visibly enraged Areyne. His comment angered and nauseated her. It took all of her strength not to call upon her magic to force him to leave, or to do far worse.  
  
Areyne shuddered at the memories. In her youth, Stark had courted her, but it was short lived. He had once been a romantic youth, full of desire and ambition. But his ambition proved a far more enticing lover than the young fae maiden, and Stark began the studies of majiks. Once she recognized his descent into the pith, the darkness, she had ceased their courting. She had asked him to step away from the dark arts, she tried everything she had known, he had refused, and she had felt the backlash of his anger. The scar she bore on her right hand and the scars she carried in her mind were a testament to that anger. She had gone to his mother, but the elder fae refused to believe and marked Areyne's accusations up to a scorned lovers rebuke and nothing more. "Stark, I ask you again to leave. If you do not, I cannot be held responsible for what will transgress in this room."  
  
"Oh, you talk so sweetly, my little Angel, but alas – you had your time. Your friged body interests me as much as a goblin's. I only came to ask you a favor."  
  
"A favor?" Areyne was curious but knew better than to trust in Stark – he was a master of language and often used it to manipulate the situation as he had done with his mother. He had claimed Areyne had wanted to marry him, wanted to gain position with the counsel through his lineage, and when he ended their courtship, she became scorned and began to disgrace his name. And Areyne had played right into it – in her desire to protect Stark, she had raced into the Queens chamber and began to recount the stories of Stark studying majiks and of other darker deeds. She must have seemed crazed.  
  
In an instant, Stark flipped back off of the bed and landed on his feet with his eyes meeting stern faced fae, jolting her from her memories "I need you to speak to the Goblin King on my behalf. He will listen to you. He respects you, though the Goddess knows why. Though neither you nor family name hold any sway within the fourth kingdom any longer and your regal name is worth less than a firiy's left hand, Jareth still seems to think you of noble blood."  
  
Areyne stood stone faced. After she had pleaded with Stark's mother, the woman had declared her "ill" and had banished her from the fourth kingdom, she had also stripped her of her family's name.  
  
"And why would I speak to him on your behalf? I am appalled by your presence even more than he is. You are a liar and fool. And I know you had a hand in far more than you have ever admitted to me. I know you are responsible for the banishment of the only man I ever loved."  
  
Biting back the urge to lay a backhand across her face, Stark calmly replied "Tell him I am no longer interested in any kind of governing power or position within this pitiful kingdom. Tell him I am content in my place as heir apparent within the fourth kingdom and that I have no desire to seek his council. Tell him I will be leaving shortly and returning home. Tell him that I only request his presence at my departure to apologize for my behavior this afternoon toward his whore. Could you deliver that message, Lover?" Stark tilted his head to the side, his face held no expression.  
  
Areyne tried to read his face, tried harder to read his emotions, and finally tried to read his mind, but the dark majiks he employed blocked her every scry. Cautiously she replied "She is his chosen, Stark."  
  
"Well, whatever it is, I am sure I must have offended it. Not that it matters, really. Will you deliver my message?"  
  
Again Areyne tried to determine what game the fae was playing "I will deliver your message, Stark."  
  
"Good. I am off to pack. Let him know that I will be leaving by high suns tomorrow. Now, if you will excuse me, Angel, I have much to do." He turned to exit, his boots clicking on the floor. As he reached the door, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder, "If you get lonely tonight, my Angel, you will have to find your entertainment some other place than by my side. Perhaps with one of those dark elves you are ever so fond of" He winked and turned to leave again, but Areyne's voice stopped him cold.  
  
"Stark. I will deliver your message, but I will also deliver what I feel your intentions may be." Stark continued out the door and headed down the hall, his boots clicking into nothing.  
  
The two strolled along the garden paths talking quietly. The suns had begun their descent in the sky and the entire flowering path was drenched in a bronzed hue. After his admission in the study, she had said she needed some air. He had asked if she wanted to be alone and she had grasped his hand as if it were a lifeline. She had looked into his eyes "How am I to learn to trust you alone?" And from there, the two had begun to walk. They had been talking for hours, talking about everything. Jareth had explained the Underground and Aboveground relationship – how they were cyclical. How one could not exist without the other, yet if the Aboveground were to know, it would destroy the Underground. About the trials Sarah had encountered in the Labyrinth, and how she was never in any true harm. About how he would not have turned Toby into a Goblin, how he would have kept the boy as an heir. About how desperately he had wanted her to stay by his side and rule the fifth kingdom of the Underground. About how her rejection had shattered him – and how he had grown from it. And she talked – about her anger at his taking of Toby, and her missing memories, and her anger at her father's betrayal – and Jareth's. By the end of the talking, both were emotionally exhausted. As the suns nearly dropped behind the horizon, Sarah fell to the ground and sat looking down at her lap. Jareth followed suit and rested beside her.  
  
"Jareth," Sarah began looking up "Why bring me back? Why now?" The question had haunted her all day, this day that seemed longer than any other in her life, but one she never wanted to end for fear that she would awaken and forget everything.  
  
"Why wish to come back? Sarah, we are intertwined, you and I. From the moment you first opened the book and entered my world, I needed you. Since long before that, I wanted you." He paused, staring deep into her eyes "From the moment you first read those words, I fell in love with you." The look of fear and confusion on Sarah's face, urged Jareth to continue "Sarah – shhhh – don't speak yet, please let me finish. Yes, I love you. I always have. I am not asking you to love me in return just yet, I know you far better than you know me, know this place. I only ask that you give me the chance to show you this world, and your place in it by my side. Search your heart, Sarah, remember your dreams, and you will find that you know me and know this world far better than you think. I told you that I visited you so often after you left in your dreams." Jareth saw a look of concern growing on the woman's face. "What is it?"  
  
"It's just, I," she stopped and played with her skirt avoiding his gaze "I was never able to remember my dreams after I left the Labyrinth. I always felt so safe and...and wonderful when I awoke from dreams, so loved, but I never remembered."  
  
"Take hold of your pendant," Jareth said "take hold, and you will remember."  
  
Sarah looked into his eyes, they held no lies and no tricks. With a deep breath to steady her nerves, Sarah took hold of the pendant and closed her eyes.  
  
Images flooded through Sarah's mind, colors and places and friends from a long time passed, but always him by her side. All of those dreams she had thought lost twirled and spun in her mind like frantic dancers at a mystical party. A ballroom and a dance, a long walk through a forest, sitting upon a hillside with her head cradled in his lap, overlooking a canyon while the sun set, riding fantastic horses through a glen – it was as if they had been by each others side for years traveling and experiencing so many things – and then a conversation broke through, she felt so young, it was just after she had left the Labyrinth. The two of them sat quietly facing each other on a bluff talking of what had happened, of misunderstandings, and of a future together, of how she would not remember any of this, but how in time, if she would allow him to, he would come back to her and take her here, to the Underground.  
  
Memory upon memory flowed through her mind, and as she blinked open her eyes, she found herself blinking away tears and staring into concerned mismatched eyes.  
  
"Sarah, you should eat something and rest now. So much has happened to you and you have recalled so much, you must be exhausted."  
  
Sarah did look and feel exhausted. It was as though she had lived six years in two days, and her mind swirled with emotions and feelings and memories she had yet to give order to. "Umm, yes, I suppose you are right. I should..." she leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes "I am so tired."  
  
"Yes, I know, but you need to eat something. I will send for Areyne and ask her to take you back to your chamber."  
  
"But we are so far from the castle and..." her words trailed into nothing as she opened her eyes to find that they had returned once more to the formal throne room.  
  
"I would have taken you back to your room," he said with a devilish smile, "but I would not want to intrude."  
  
Just then, Areyne walked into the room "You asked for me Jareth?" She looked worried, Jareth noted immediately.  
  
"Yes," he replied, immediately reading her emotional unease and urgency "could you please find someone to take Sarah back to her room and bring her something to eat. She has had a very trying day."  
  
"Of course." She replied then, in her mind Jareth, we need to speak immediately, there is a possible situation. And with those thoughts, Areyne hurriedly left.  
  
"Rest now, my Sarah, your mind will sort through everything come morning, I promise. And if you wish to return home, I will not hinder your return."  
  
"Jareth," Sarah began, her voice shaking with uncertainty, but also filled with a hope that what she had been experiencing these last few hours was real, was tangible "I can't promise I will want to stay," she began, slowly rising to her feet. Jareth steadied her as she rose, her whole body was drained and she ached for a warm bath. "but I need to know if all of what I remember is real and if it is, then......."  
  
"Lady Sarah," Areyne's voice broke the moment. Instantly she cringed, knowing she had interrupted a personal moment. "I am so sorry for the intrusion,"  
  
"Not at all," Jareth said quietly. Looking into Sarah's tortured eyes, "We will talk in the morning. Now rest." He leaned in to kiss her forehead, but stopped, and instead simply led her to where Areyne stood at the entrance to the throne room.  
  
"Raglit will see to your needs, my lady," Areyne commented and led Sarah to the door. A plump goblin hopped to Sarah's side and took her hand and began to pull her towards the door. Sarah cast a concerned look back to Jareth and Areyne. "Don't worry, Sarah, Raglit is a fine caretaker and will see to all of your needs. Should you need me, should you need anything at all, clasp the pendant I gave you and just picture where you want to be. All will be fine." With a quiet smile and with eyes that said 'thank you' Sarah left the room with the bouncing goblin leading the way. 


	7. Between Sleep and Dreams

I do not own any of Labyrinth or its characters.  
  
VII: Between Sleep and Dreams  
  
"He is leaving, just like that? No explanation?" Jareth asked, the confusion reading plainly on his face.  
  
"He says, not that I believe him, that he was wrong, that he is taking his place by his mother's side as the heir to her kingdom. Jareth, something is not right, the man sets me on edge and makes every fiber in body ache from the darkness he exudes." Areyne's face read concern. She had been set a back on edge after her encounter with Stark. If he sought to take stake in Jareth's kingdom, he would not succeed. Jareth was one of the most powerful fae in the Underground, and to go directly against him would mean death or exile. "There is the chance that he is leaving for now, knowing that he cannot win, but will return."  
  
Jareth's eyes looked up from thought, his heart was weighing heavily on what this could mean. From the moment Jareth had asked the high council for the outlands, Stark had been on his heels yapping and biting at him. Jareth had suspected Stark's intentions for some time and that had been one of the driving reasons behind his declaration for the outlands to be a separate kingdom. Yet, despite his best efforts, Jareth had no proof of Stark's intentions – nothing to go to the council with – and if he attacked the only son of one of the ruling houses without proof, his favor would be lost. So Jareth did what he could and Stark continued to bite and scratch at the Goblin King's heel with dreams of ambition, and the growing dark majiks to accomplish what he desired.  
  
And now Stark was backing down. It was too much to think that the annoying fae had given up. No, that was not like the man, he had either simply come up with another diversion to occupy his time for awhile or was formulating another plan. Calling a crystal to his hand, Jareth concentrated his thought into the globe – Stark was in his room, preparing to leave, just as he had said. He stood from a desk where he had been sitting and began to cross to the door. Stark turned then, and faced the scrying Jareth – smiled, winked, and waved his hand – the image disappeared and the crystal shattered into nothingness. With a heavy sigh, Jareth called another globe into being. Standing, he crossed his throne room to the center dias, Areyne followed. He placed the globe upon a small table. It grew in size until both could peer into it without effort. "Reveal – since Stark has been here, show me his movements." The crystal clouded over, a bluish white haze appearing on the inside. In a instant, it was clear and Stark's actions over the past few days played out as if someone had hit a fast forward button. It showed him traversing the Labyrinths corridors, moving about the city, and his encounter with Sarah in the throne room. Jareth winced at this encounter and Areyne's eyes grew wide. "Slow." Jareth spoke to the crystal, and the scene played out before them as it had occurred in real-time. Anger, deep and loathing, grew in Jareth's expression. "Enough." With that word, the crystal returned to it's former size. Jareth picked up the sphere and hurled it across the room where it struck a wall and shattered into a million points of blue light. "I should have kept a closer eye on him. I should have been there."  
  
Areyne stepped closer and placed a hand on Jareth's shoulder "You had no way of knowing he would be in your throne room waiting. It is not your fault. You can't be everywhere at once." Areyne sighed "Take comfort in the notion that he will be gone tomorrow."  
  
"That is what I am afraid of. Areyne, his power is growing. You knew it long before anyone else. He will be gone, but with him out of reach, I cannot keep an eye on him."  
  
"Hopefully, you won't need to."  
  
Jareth looked into her eyes, and knew it was a hope neither one could believe in.  
  
"There is no sense in thinking about it now. He is gone and I have the package you sent me to get from the merchant yesterday." Areyne held a small black velvet pouch in her hand. Jareth reached for it and Areyne quickly pulled it behind her back. "Not so fast, stop worrying for a bit and enjoy this, please?"  
  
Jareth mockingly glared at her "You know, I could turn you in to a goblin..."  
  
"No you couldn't and no you wouldn't! There are very few people who can put up with your moods and your outlandish sense of style. If you turned me into a goblin, you wouldn't have anyone left who actually appreciates you!"  
  
"I would have Sarah," Jareth replied, a smile spreading to his lips.  
  
"Yes you would," Areyne replied, a sad smile on her lips as she remembered a time long ago. Handing him the pouch, she looked her dear friend in the eye, "She will love the ring, she will love it just as she loves you. Never let her go Jareth....."  
  
Jareth kissed his friend on the forehead and then opened the small bag. The ring was perfect, a simple silver band with his crest etched into the metal. It was to be hers as she was to be his chosen.  
  
---  
  
Sarah had finished eating and climbed into a steaming hot bath. The water enveloped her body and relaxed her tense muscles. The little goblin that had been sent with stood watch outside the door, occasionally piping up with a "You k?" To which Sarah would reply "Yes, thank you." She had learned that just ignoring the little goblin was a far worse fate than responding. After about the third time Raglit had asked the question, Sarah simply refused to answer. After about ten seconds, the little goblin burst through the door, jumped up on a stool and proceeded to take Sarah's pulse. When she was sure Sarah was alive, she scowled and scolded her saying "You no fakey sicky – not too good for Raglit – she get in much troubles if you sicky!" and she stomped out, taking her place outside the door, while Sarah erupted in laughter from the scene.  
  
In fact, it was the first laugh she had felt in the past few days. Too much had been happening, she had recalled so many lost memories. She remembered feelings and emotions and places and things she hadn't thought were real. She and Jareth had spent so much time together in dreams, they had grown so close. He wasn't the monster she had originally thought him to be, stealing children and torturing young women, he was kind, if arrogant, gentle, if harsh in judgment at times. He had not stolen away Toby to turn him into a goblin, but to fulfill her own fairytale wish. No harm would have come to the boy, he had explained that to her. In the end, when he had offered her the crystal, he had wanted her to trade places with the boy – to offer herself up in Toby's place – to take her place by his side. But she hadn't known, Jareth simply assumed that she would create her own end to the adventure he had given her, but she hadn't, she had finished the book the way it was written, and unknowingly condemned herself to loosing all of her memories of Hoggle, Didymus, Ludo, and of him. But now, hundreds of memories flowed easily through her mind, and she remembered living through all of them in her dreams. Not only had Jareth come to her, but he had occasionally allowed her friends to visit her as well.  
  
Her first memory after the Labyrinth was when he came to her, angry and full of passion. The two stood in an open space of nothingness, blueish white swirls of mist at their feet. He accused her of not knowing what she wanted and being a spoiled child who carelessly made wishes when she wasn't prepared for the consequences. She told him, then and there, to his face that he was a maniacal, arrogant bully, who took delight in stealing away children and torturing young women and toying with their emotions like some brutish thug! He had stared into her angered eyes and then began to laugh. She remembered being even angrier with him for that. It was then that he realized how he must have seemed to her. He smiled, with tears of laughter in his eyes, and suddenly the two were in flower filled meadow with a light haze resting over the purple and blue flowers. It was there that he had explained it all to her.  
  
Explained everything except his love for her. In all of the years Jareth visited her, nearly every night, he had never confessed his love for her. Some nights, he simply watched her dream, others he allowed her friends to come to her, and others he visited her personally. So many nights the two of them sat on cliffs overlooking the deep blue ocean waves or danced in magnificent ballrooms or talked as they strolled through fantastic glades. So many nights she fell asleep in his arms as they sat in a glen talking only to awaken to the blare of her alarm clock, trying desperately to cling to the images in her waking mind. So many times it was the only place she felt safe. So many times, Sarah recalled, she had asked him to take her back to this place, but he couldn't, she had to want to return while awake, and that was the tricky part. If the council had stolen her conscious memories of the Underground, how was she to wish herself here again? She had asked Jareth to intervene somehow, to make her wish herself here, and once here, restore her memories. She hadn't realized it fully, even in her dreams, but she did now. Her feelings for Jareth went far beneath the surface, he had done everything she had ever asked, even now. There was a swelling a in her heart, a warmth as she smiled to herself. She was here, back in the Underground, back home where she belonged and she was falling. So peaceful, so quiet, Sarah took a deep breath and relaxed even further in the hot water. So quiet. Raglit.  
  
Sarah sat bolt up in the tub, water splashing everywhere, and did her best to cover herself with her hands.  
  
"You are ever so pretty, my pet. Move your hands there and let me have a better look at you, would you." Stark sat on the stool in the bathing room and transfixed his icy glare upon Sarah's body, a sly grin curling at his lips. "It's about time you woke up, my pet, I've been watching you for some time now, hoping to get a better look."  
  
Sarah's eyes moved to the door, there she caught a glimpse of two little goblin feet sticking into the doorway. She gasped.  
  
"No no no, my pet, she is sleeping, don't worry, I came upon her that way." As if to accent his point, Raglit let out a loud snore at the moment, but it felt to Sarah as if he must have done it somehow – induced the poor creature's sleep. "You see? I would never harm something so dear to the Goblin King." His voice dripped of cynicism "Now as for you, I wanted to apologize for my earlier actions in the throne room, my pet, and to show you, I propose you step out of that tub and allow me to relax what must be your tense muscles with a massage or perhaps something else....." He stood up from the stool, and began to sidle towards the soaking woman before him, an all too innocent look upon his handsome features. Sarah could not deny that he was a beautiful man, but that beauty frightened her, and filled her with a feeling of ice gripping her heart. He was right in front of her now, his eyes never leaving her form, which sat perfectly still in the steaming water. He ran his finger along the dark porceline of the tub, "Now now, no need to be afraid, my pet," Stark purred, taking his gaze off of her for the first time and staring into the water, "I would never think of hurting you, unless you asked me to...." He was stopped short as he looked up, Sarah was gone. Simply gone.  
  
"Damn." Stark muttered sounding more annoyed than angry, he had hoped to talk to the bathing beauty into a stroll or more, either through persuasion or by force, he didn't really care which. He had hoped to pray on her fears of Jareth, he insecurities of where he stood in her life and convince her that he was the monster who stole her brat and made her run that ridiculous gauntlet. "Oh well. Guess it will have to be the other way. I had hoped she would come easily, it would have been nice to lay claim to something of Jareth's for once." He strolled out of the room and into her bed chamber, casting an uninterested glance over bed and armoir. He crossed to the dresser and whispered a string of words. There, on the dressing table a ring appeared. The band of the ring was silver with intricate flowers and mystic designs woven completely around, and in its center was a large smoke tinted crystal. "Hmm, not quite right." With another word, a deep red lilly appeared beside it with a small piece of parchment reading – for you – in beautifully curled letters. "Perfect." Stark purred and left the room, smiling all the way down the hall as dark thoughts curled in his mind.  
  
Jareth sat in his throne, deep in thought. Aryene had left to prepare for bed and had left the exhausted king to his thoughts. He didn't know what Stark was up to, but he couldn't worry himself with that now. Sarah was here, again in his Labyrinth, in the Underground. It had taken a substantial amount of energy to recall her memories of sleep, of so many nights over the past five years. But Stark had been playing at the back of his mind taking attention from Sarah. Stark. If he was leaving, then that problem was temporarily resolved. He looked up at the sky through the magical ceiling and stared at the moons. "I don't know that you will ever understand, Sarah. I don't know that you will believe the memories I gave back to you. I just couldn't live any longer only seeing you in your dreams." With a deep sigh, Jareth stood and looked around him. A few goblins had chosen this room to fall asleep for the night, others lined halls, some in the kitchen, but Jareth needed to be alone. Calling his study to his mind, he was there in an instant. But what he saw before him, shook him to his heart.  
  
Sarah. His Sarah wrapped tightly in a deep blue throw, resting in a corner, barely able to keep her eyes open, her hair dripping wet. Her face was white and her expression exhausted. She looked up through half closed lids "Jareth, please, I am so sorry, I had no place else to go. I am so tired. Please, I..."  
  
"Shhhhhh," In a single second he was by her side, her head resting upon his chest, "Sarah, what happened, are you all right?" Concern ran through his voice, and his body shook – why was she here, who or what was she hiding from. She was cold to the touch, her face pale and her words were those of an exhausted, frightened girl. He feared that the memories he had given back to her had somehow hurt her.  
  
"Jareth, I remember." Her dark eyes looked into his, for a moment gaining recognition and sincerity "I remember my dreams, I remember you," her gaze fell away, her head resting again beside his heart, her words taking on the tone of exhaustion. "I am so sorry, I was scared, he will lie and tell you I did things, but I didn't. He was just there – looking at me, I didn't invite him in. I am so sorry,...." and Sarah collapsed, there with her head upon his chest. Jareth settled himself against the wall, called another blanket into being, and tucked the sleeping Sarah in. He took one of the pillows from the floor and moved to place it under her head and move himself away, but Sarah, dazed with sleep, moved her hand to his and whispered "stay."  
  
So Jareth stayed. 


	8. Somewhere between reality and dreams lie...

I do not own any of Labyrinth or its characters  
  
VIII: Somewhere between reality and dreams lies the truth  
  
Jareth stared at her from across his room. After finding her, he had waited for her to find a fitful sleep and then had willed them back to his chambers. He'd clothed her in a deep blue night gown, using magic as to assure her modesty, and laid her upon his bed, casting a small spell over her tense face to ensure her a calm sleep. She had immediately relaxed, he however, had not. Jareth's mind spun in dizzying circles as he paced his own room. It had been a long night, and the Goblin King, normally quite proper in appearance, stood in his room in only an undone white shirt with his signature necklace and tight black pants, long ago discarding the vest, gloves, and other adornments. His hair was even more unkempt than usual as he walked about his chambers, his mind a myriad of assumptions. The expansive room housed a magnificent bed in its center and a large armoir and dressing table near the door. On the wall directly across from the bed stood the largest fireplace in the castle, complete with fire, and on either side in front, two plush chairs with a table between with a full glass of wine sitting untouched. The only doors in the room were the entrance, and the door to the bathing suite, both magically locked and warded.  
  
Jareth turned a chair to face the bed and slumped down into the padding. His mind still focused on the words Sarah had spoken. She had asked him to stay beside her, she had said she remembered, she had said he will lie......he who? Lie about what? His mind side stepped the obvious, not wanting to admit that the most likely of reasons to find a dripping, cold and distraught woman in his sitting room was that the bastard had touched his Sarah. Forcing himself to conjure a crystal to his hand, Jareth commanded it to show him what had transpired. What he saw made his heart sink. He watched the crystalline image until he saw Sarah reach for the pendant and will herself from Stark. Burning with rage, Jareth turned hurled the crystal into the fire.  
  
"Jareth?" Her voice was little more than a whisper, but it called the enraged Jareth as if it were the loudest noise in the Underground, and soothed his deepening temper. He crossed the room in a few strides and sat beside her. Sarah's skin looked so pale against the deep blue blankets and pillows, her hair in knots and twists around her face. A soft, sad smile played at her lips. "Good morning." Jareth said as he stared into her eyes, unable, even if he had wanted, to look away. "I trust you slept well?" Every nerve in his body wanted to reach out to her, to touch her cheek, to hold her and let her know that no harm would ever again come to her.  
  
"I did, thank you." But even as she spoke the words, a frightened and confused look contorted her features. "Jareth, I remembered. I remembered the dreams, the time we were together, all those years." Sarah sat up and stared hard into his eyes. "Are they real?"  
  
Jareth now mirrored her confusion, and then it struck him. How was she to know if what she had remembered had really happened or if it was some trick that had been played upon her. "What does your heart tell you?" He asked, his eyes boring holes into her own.  
  
Sarah sighed and pulled her gaze away. "Jareth," she began, he voice shaking "for so long I wanted to believe in something. For so long my heart told me there was more to the world, but there was no proof. And then when everyone else was growing up, I couldn't, I wouldn't." Tears began to well in her eyes, the events of the past day was far too much for her, and she fought to hold control over the surge of tears she knew would soon come. "Karen constantly pressed me to give up on my fantasies, to "grow up and face reality". She tore down my posters, threw away my costumes and scripts, and with no memory of the Labyrinth, I convinced myself that she was right, that it was time I grew up. But there was always a part of me that believed, that wouldn't let the fantasies go. I reveled in my dreams, and she couldn't take those from me, no one could." Closing her eyes, Sarah turned to face Jareth. Slowly she opened them. "My heart tells me," she stopped, looking into his tense eyes, eyes that seemed to bear the weight of the world, "to believe again."  
  
"Sarah, I never meant to take anything from you. I asked you to stay, the first time through the Labyrinth, and you refused. I had no other recourse. If I could have spared you I....." Sarah stopped him, a weary smile coming to her face.  
  
"We have been over this already, in dreams, there is no point in going through it all again. As I slept, my dream memories seemed to, almost, weave themselves into my waking memories. It is as if I lived everything. It will take me some time to get used to having years worth of memories, and I suppose it will take some time for them to fully incorporate themselves, but I have them, and I feel them, and I know you would have come back for me if you could have. There is no room for apologies here, only for new memories. Jareth," Sarah's voice became almost a whisper as she realized how close he was to her. He had moved even closer to her and now was only mere inches from her, his eyes interlocked with her own. Her heart began to race and her breathing became even more shallow. Though he had never said it, Sarah thought he must feel something more than kinship for her. Her mind swarmed with new images from her dreams, never once had he kissed her or confessed feelings for her, never once had he taken her in a passionate embrace, so why now, with his breath teasing her lips, did she want him to. Sarah parted her lips in anticipation as her eyes began to slowly close.  
  
Jareth stood from the bed and took a few steps back, and turned his gaze away, "You should dress, you must be hungry and we have a long day ahead of us." Sarah's eyes bolted open and she was at a loss for words. Why did he pull away? And then the realization struck her.  
  
With tears welling in her eyes and body shaking, Sarah stood and faced Jareth. "Nothing happened last night. Stark, he," the words were jumbled but she fought to say them "I was bathing, he came in uninvited, he taunted me with words and," tears fell freely from her eyes, "and nothing happened! I left the instant I knew what to do, Jareth. The moment I remembered the pendant I left, you have to......" her words were cut short as Jareth closed his lips over her mouth. His hands clasped her face and he kissed her passionately. Slowly, his tongue wound its way into her mouth, her own finding his and dancing slowing in an ever deepening kiss. For what seemed like an eternity the two stood, arms winding about one another, hands moving along backs necks and faces. Finally, Jareth pulled back, touching his forehead to hers. "I never doubted you, I never believed otherwise."  
  
"Then why did you step away from me?"  
  
"I didn't know if you wanted to stay here, stay with me. I offered myself once, and you refused. I told myself I wouldn't offer up my heart a second time. I was content to be a friend, nothing more. I was content to hide under a mask of indifference. Sarah," Jareth paused, swallowing. He had told himself he would not, but with all of his arrogance and vanity stripped away, he couldn't hide any longer. The moment he had brought her here, he knew he would fall, and he had. The words would slip from his mouth without his control. The proud king would lay at her mercy. If she refused, he would be lost, but things had moved beyond his control. His heart would no longer remain hidden "the truth is, I have always loved you. Always. I cannot be without you again. Sarah, I am yours. I love you."  
  
Sarah looked at him, his soul bared before her. Her voice barely a whisper, she responded in kind "And I am yours, I love you." And Sarah stepped into him, deeply kissing him and leaning back towards the bed, which she sat down upon, pulling him to her, their kiss never ending. Jareth's body fought with his mind. In his head he knew that they should wait until their announcement had been made, wait until she was introduced to the court and their marriage consented to, but his body demanded more. Six years he had watched and waited for her, six years of desire pent up. Their kiss became a hunger as their arms laced around one another. Sarah pulled at his shirt, running her hands up his smooth chest and feeling his skin beneath her palms, as his hands tangled themselves in her hair.  
  
"Are you sure, do you want this?" Jareth breathed into her ear.  
  
"More than I have every desired anything." Her hot breath assaulted his ear, and he growled as she lightly bit his neck.  
  
Using all of his willpower, Jareth pulled away from her. "Good. Then we shall. But not now, not yet, my love." A sly smile played on his lips, as a shocked Sarah lay sweating, aroused beyond comprehension, and mouth agape. With a final gentle kiss on the forehead, she was in her room, where a mildly amused Areyne sat, ready to dress the young Sarah for breakfast.  
  
What Sarah did not see, was after Jareth had transported her, he sunk down into one his chair and took a long drink of wine. Smiling to himself, and struggling to regain his composure, he stared into the fire. Had he let it go any further, he would have regretted it. There were preparations to be made. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and prepared for breakfast.  
  
Areyne helped the disoriented Sarah to her dressing table. "I will give you a moment or two before I help you dress for breakfast. Why don't you choose a gown and wash up while I gather some flowers for your hair. I will only be a moment, so take your time." Areyne tried desperately to hide her smile, but in the end failed. She quietly exited the room, closing the door lightly behind her. She would be back in a few moments, but wanted to give the young woman some time to think things over. She had appeared from Jareth's chamber in a state of complete disarray. Areyne herself had been summoned there only moments before Sarah's arrival, and the telepathic message had been disjointed at best. Areyne sighed as she walked the halls to the garden.  
  
Jareth had loved her from the moment she dared challenge him. Areyne smiled to herself, Sarah would make a fine queen to the proud Jareth. And Areyne and Jareth would see that she was always tended to and guarded. A half mortal in the Labyrinth was vulnerable, and there would be those who would surely disagree with her rise to Queen. Jareth had made sure that both he and Areyne (to a lesser degree) were connected mentally with Sarah, that if she needed them, she would simply have to think it. Yes, Sarah would be a fine Queen. Seeing the two so desperately in love turned Areyne's thoughts to another time, a time when she too had been so completely in love. After all of Stark's betrayals, she had found love in the arms of a man who was a compliment to her in every way. She would have done anything to have been his bride, to have joined her soul with his. But he had died, or been banished, his body was never found. He simply never returned one night, had left her without her love and without hope. She had vowed never to love again. Shortly after his disappearance, the counsel had deemed that she could no longer reside anywhere in the fourth kingdom, and Jareth had brought her here. Tears crept at the edges of her eyes, but she was not jealous of the love of Sarah and Jareth, she was happy, and happy to remember that she had once been loved as passionately.  
  
Areyne's thoughts were interrupted by a cold mental snap. Something was wrong. Sarah was no longer in the castle, she was no where in the Labyrinth, she was simply gone. In an instant, Areyne was in Sarah's room, staring at a note on the floor.  
  
With a simple flick of his wrist, Jareth was ready for breakfast. He wore black pants and boots and a deep red tunic, which was open to display his pendant. He pulled on a pair of leather gloves and slipped a riding crop into his belt. They would start with breakfast and then a walk to the stables, where they would go riding to one of the most serene areas in the labyrinth – the Siren Falls – so named for the music the water creates when it splashes upon the rocks. It would be here that he would tell her.  
  
Jareth took a long deep breath and closed his eyes. Sarah was half fae, and therefore, she was partially entitled to this world. Her powers were latent, but they would be brought out in time. Her mother had been the governing power of the fist kingdom over three hundred years ago. She had been the ruler to unite the kingdoms and bring peace to the Underground. However, it was largely speculated that certain powers had grown fearful of Illianna and so had staged an internal coup, relived her of her governing power and had banished her above ground. To all but a few, it had appeared as though she had simply "retired". But Jareth knew the truth, and that Stark's family had been one of the parties responsible for her banishment. Illianna, in all of her wisdom, had not gone against his family for fear of disrupting the peace. The elvish kingdom was fragile in it's politics, and any direct move against them, would have brought realm against realm, and the peace she had fought so hard to gain, would have been shattered. So she had left, and had entrusted Jareth's family with the task of protecting the lesser species from exile or domination. And so Jareth and his father had created the Labyrinth, and in time, Jareth's father had passed full rule to his one son. Occasionally, Jareth would scry on Illianna, only to see that she had somewhat adjusted to "mortal" life, taken a mortal name and had become involved with a normal man, and had conceived a daughter. Shortly after the child was born, Illianna, had disappeared from Jareth's scrying abilities. When the child had turned fifteen, Illianna had disappeared almost completely it seemed, only sending her daughter the occasional letter. Then, barely a few months ago, he no longer felt anything from her. But it didn't matter to him any longer, as his eyes had fallen upon the child of one of his dearest friends. He watched over her, as a favor to Illianna, taking care to arrange her life in such a manner as for her to develop, as much as possible, her latent fae side. And it was strong in her. Although how she ever managed to find a copy of a story called "Labyrinth", he was still unclear. As he watched her grow, his emotions toward the young woman changed from the desire to protect her, to the desire to please her. Without any intention, he had fallen in love with her, and today, he would tell her of all of this.  
  
Slowly, Jareth's thoughts turned from the past, to the present. In his hand he held a simple silver ring with his family crest elegantly woven all around it. Her birthright would be hers before nightfall, and she would accept his offer to be his Queen. In time, her latent magic would surface and she would more fully develop as a fae and take her place as his Queen. A smile played across his lips as he envisioned her accepting his offer. The beauty of Sarah was that, as a fae with mortal inclinations, she would easily bear their children, and the thought of a long life with Sarah and their children danced through his mind. He felt almost perfect.  
  
His smile was gone the instant he felt her pain and mentally heard her scream. In an instant he was in her room, staring at Areyne and the note upon the floor.  
  
Sarah slowly stood up from the vanity, looking at herself in the mirror, she half-smiled. She was still shaking, but a sense of completeness filled her. She heard Areyne close the door behind her and she steadied herself as she walked into the large closet to choose a dress. Had he honestly expected her to stay with him the first time? She smiled, she had been too young. Yes he had been devilishly sexy, but it had not been the right time – now was the right time, now she knew she wanted to be with this man more than anything in life. She was shaking, and quite suddenly her hands again became numb, as if they had fallen asleep, and the sensation shot up her arms and encompassed her whole body, forcing her to lean against the wall for support and violently shaking her from her wonderful thoughts. As suddenly as it had come upon her, it vanished. She shook her head, "too much of a good thing, I guess." She muttered quietly. Breathing deeply, she steadied herself against the wall and breathed deep. When she could again see straight, she looked back into the armoir and she choose a light, silken, deep red dress and laid it upon the bed. She quickly splashed a bit of water on her face and walked back and slid into the dress, then turned to the vanity and smiled.  
  
There, sitting beside a lovely flower, was a simple ring with a large clear jewel in the center, and a scrawled note reading simply, for you. Gingerly, she picked up the ring, and admired it. "And what do you suppose this is supposed to mean? For me? It's like everything I have ever dreamed is coming true. I almost feel like Alice in Wonderland." She looked at herself in the mirror, and said "Of course I accept, your majesty," and slid the ring upon her finger.  
  
Immediately, burning pain shot up her arm. Shocked and horrified, she desperately tried to pull the ring off. She screamed as the pain built, and then she was gone. Only the note remained. 


	9. Welcome to Wonderland

I do not own any of Labyrinth or its characters.  
  
IX: Welcome to Wonderland  
  
Sarah sat in a steel gray room. The room, if you could call it such as it had no walls, was dimly lit by an unknown cold light, giving the place a deathly palor, but allowing her to see her surroundings – of which there were none. Her surroundings was neither cold nor warm, and the stark nothingness of it all caused her to shake. Remembering, she looked down at her hand where the ring sat motionless. Four prong-link claws now protruded from the inky gem, and had dug into her skin. Purple welts had risen up where the talons cut deep into her flesh, and when she tried to remove it, they dug in deeper, cause thick blood to ooze out. She winced in pain and looked down. She noticed that she was no longer adorned in her regal red dress, but instead, was in a black silken gown, low cut across her chest, with no sleeves, and a long, trailing skirt. Thinking, she felt for the necklace Jareth had given her, and clutched it. Nothing happened. She felt panic begin to well up inside her chest..... "C'mon Sarah, don't do this. There has to be some kind of explanation. Why would Jareth do this? What is going on....think."  
  
"Jareth wouldn't do this." Came the answer.  
  
Sarah whirled around to find a throne – steel gray – in the middle of nothing, with a lounging Stark adorning it. Hopping up, he slowly began to saunter towards her. "Such a pity that my cousin will have to find another trinket to toy with. Your mine now, Pet. All mine." He was in front of her now, his warm breath assaulting her face. "What to do with you, hmmmm, now that is a quandary, now isn't it." His tongue snaked out of his crooked smile and licked at hers. Her hand connected hard with his cheek in a hard slap. Blood trickled down from where her nails had scratched him, and he licked it off his lip, smiling.  
  
Her eyes growing cold, Sarah met his gaze. "Where am I?"  
  
"Tits for tat, Pet. I will answer one if you will – deal? As a show of good faith, I will even answer your question first. You are where all my naughty pets go. You are in a steel crystal, a prison if you will, far from the eyes and ears of my cousin. My turn, did he have you yet?"  
  
"Get the hell away from me. You are sick." Sarah turned to walk away, but he was in front of her again, a sick smile playing across his lips.  
  
"Tsk tsk tsk. I thought we were playing nicely...oh well," his balled hand came up and connected with her face. Sarah landed hard on the floor, gasping. "Now now, I didn't really want to hurt you. Oh wait, yes I did. But since I have you here and you are being most difficult, I will tell you a secret...."  
  
Sarah had never been hit before, and she felt her eye begin to swell shut. "Piss off, bastard."  
  
"Oh, now now, Pet, really..." With a kick to her stomach, Sarah recoiled. "It really is too bad you want to fight." He grabbed her hair and pulled her up to face him, "other methods of interrogation are far more pleasurable. Although I must say that hurting the toy of my cousin is quite amusing. In time, my little gift will ensure that you will find my company more than adequate, in fact, one might say that you will love my attentions."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"My little gift, Pet, is a most fantastic device. It purges you of free will, and fills you with my desires for you, whatever they may be...." Spit landed on Stark's cheek. Slowly, without taking his eyes from his prey, his tongue snaked out to lick it from his skin and then he slowly inched closer to her face. "You really know how to make a man want you, don't you Pet." Licking her lips, he pushed his tongue into her mouth and with his free hand grabbing her breast. She struggled to free herself and he pushed her back down to the cold floor. "I suggest you rest, the less you fight my control, the easier it will be on both of us." With that, he pushed her back to the floor and then leaned close, taking a small piece of her hair and pulling it out. "I will be taking you later, Pet, make no mistake. I just want to make sure your intended knows of our love in all of it's gory detail before I christen you mine. Here, Xaven will keep you company in my absence. I have to make sure Jareth gives me everything I want before I deny him everything he desires." And he was gone. In his place stood a very angry, very tattooed, very muscular looking ebony skinned elf whose ice blue eyes focused upon Sarah who stood staring back with one good eye burning with hatred.  
  
Jareth and Aryene stood staring at the note as the words upon the paper changed from "For you" to "All Mine". Rage burning inside the Goblin King and a deep hatred began to swell inside of Aryene. With a primal scream, magic poured forth from Jareth as he flung crystals doused in blue flames about the room, destroying the bed and shattering the mirror, burning the clothes and charring the tapestries. It was only Aryene's soft touch upon his shoulder that brought the Goblin King down from spiraled rage.  
  
"We will find her, Jareth." Aryene softly whispered, the anger clear upon her face and in her voice. "We will find her, and whoever has taken her from your side will pay."  
  
"Stark." Jareth spit the name. "I can smell him. I have to go, I have to find him."  
  
"And where will you go?"  
  
"I have to look,"  
  
"And where will you start? Patience, Jareth, patience. This is a game to him. You know she is still alive, you and I would have both felt the tie sever if she had left this world. He wants you to come to him, you must have strength, for her sake."  
  
Jareth grew silent, a deep pain etching across his face. He turned toward Aryene. "How long have we known one another?"  
  
"Since as long as I can remember."  
  
"And how long have we been blood tied?"  
  
"Since you took me in, after the disgrace of..."  
  
"So you will be honest with me now." Jareth said plainly.  
  
"I have never been anything but."  
  
"What does he want. You know him better than any, you have seen his darkness. Why would he take Sarah?"  
  
"Jareth," the sigh that followed his name belied her inner turmoil. She was blood tied to Jareth, bound to him as family as she had been cast out of hers. He was like a brother to her and was her dearest friend. He had taken her in upon her exile and, as payment, she had indentured herself to him, though he had not asked for it. None of this made what she was about to tell him any easier. "I believe he wants the Labyrinth."  
  
"How right you are" came the reply from behind the two of them, Stark stood in the door frame lounging, with a ringlet of mahagony hair in his fingers. In an instant Jareth was on him, grabbing him by the shirt and lifting him against the wall. Rage burned in the king, and the fire in his eyes was only heightened by the laughing of Stark. "You know you cannot hurt me, dearest cousin, for if you do, you will never find her."  
  
Jareth dropped the still laughing Stark to the ground. Areyne moved to stand between the two men. Stark had stopped laughing and now gazed back at Jareth. "Where is she Stark?" Areyne broke the silence. Without taking his eyes from Jareth, Stark responded "She's safe for the moment. I left her with a friend." Came the sickeningly soft reply, spoken as his tongue licked at his lips.  
  
"What do you want Stark?" Jareth groweled between clenched teeth.  
  
"You know," he began as he started to walk towards Sarah's dresser, "I really tried to play nice. Tried to be the diplomat, tried to go about things the proper way. I mean, I had Illianna removed, I had made sure the barren lands were perfectly, well, barren, I even convinced the council that Areyne was insane with love, all so that I could have this. But then you saunter in and take away all my best laid plans. You really are an arrogant bastard, you know that? Well, I'm damn sick of waiting. You want Sarah back? Do you? You hand over the Labyrinth, Areyne, and banish yourself above ground. You wave control of the Goblin-kin and break your bond with Areyne, and you can have your precious little pet back. You do that, and she is yours. You have, hmmmmm, thirteen hours, yes thirteen hours to decide." He lifted her hair to his nose and inhaled. "Mmmmmmmmm, maybe you shouldn't agree. She is quite, divine." And he was gone. Sarah's hair floated to the floor.  
  
Jareth spun to face Areyne, in an instant he was clothed in black, from head to foot, with steel gauntlets adorning each hand. A scimitar hung around his waist and a black cape covered his shoulders. He nodded at Areyene and she too changed. They were to travel, she knew, as emissaries of either peace or war, depending on the situation. In an instant she was dressed to mirror his own appearance, black leggings, a tight black sleeveless tunic, two daggers at her hips and black gloves. A dark blue cape adorned her shoulders and Jareth's insignia around her neck. They nodded at one another.  
  
"Send the goblins out, if she is in the Labyrinth, they will find her. Have the beasts speak with the rocks, if she is anywhere on this plane, they will know. Areyne, I am not asking you to do this because you owe me anything. You do not have to follow me into what will surely be a fight with Stark and his minions. If you wish to remain behind..."  
  
"I would never disgrace our relationship with such cowardice."  
  
"I know how he has hurt you, Areyne. I don't know all of it, but I know the scars you bear run deep. I know a part of you still fears him.."  
  
"There is no part of me that fears him any more than any part of me that hates him. I will stand by your side as you administer judgement. Jareth, I will stand by your side no matter the course. We will find her, we will get her back."  
  
Jareth stood staring into her steel cold blue eyes, knowing that their bond of friendship could never be broken. With a curt nod, she left to give the orders to Jareth's followers. The goblins would scour the Labyrinth, the beasts would commune. She knew what else had to be done as Jareth prepared. She would send the knights to the edges of the Labyrinth to stand as sentries and prepare the firies and pixie folk for ambush and gorilla warfare. She would send the avaians to search quickly across the kingdoms for any sign of Jareth's chosen and to guard the outer reaches of his kingdom. She knew Jareth would go to his study and would send for her shortly. There he would contact the counsel and notify them of his actions. Of Stark's betrayal. Much had to be done, and quickly. 


	10. A Window to the Soul

I do not own any of the Labyrinth or its characters.  
  
X: A Window to the Soul  
  
Jareth paced in his study as the council sat in deliberation of his news. He viewed them from his scrying pool and the anger was apparent on his face. Stark's mother, Queen Miira had been asked to leave the council room when she had grown violently angry at the accusations of her son. In truth, the council had seemed to believe her denial until Jareth produced the note Stark had left behind and his magical aura was clearly visible.  
  
"Jareth, how can you be certain that Stark is indeed after the Labyrinth?" Derkean Skillian spoke. He was an aged felis, the ruler of the first kingdom, whose voice carried the weight in the council. He had lived centuries and was perhaps the oldest living creature in the Underground. In his youth, he had participated in many military campaigns and had seen more than his share of devastation. Derkean was decidedly against any kind of war and had worked beside the Lady Illiana to ensure peace throughout the realms. Now, as he witnessed the rage and sorrow upon the Goblin King's face, he knew that if Stark was indeed responsible and the council turned a blind eye, war would be imminent. If Jareth could provide proof to Stark's involvement and intentions, then there could be no doubt that the council would side with him. "Are these, um, how did you put it, precautionary measures, truly necessary? Allow the council to tend to the matter of finding and questioning Stark. What you ask is for the ruling house of the fourth kingdom to fall on it's sons mistakes leading us to war."  
  
"What I ask is my right! I now have eleven hours before my chosen is to be killed or worse by the hands of Stark, by his own admission. I cannot and will not stand by idle while you politely ask to speak with him. I have a witness. Grant me the governing law to use my magics to free her and to punish Stark. I ask for no more than is my right!"  
  
"You say you have a witness to Stark's betrayal?" Caleenishalim Tssali spoke. Her deep blue hair flowed well past her waist as she tilted her head and stared deep into Jareth's eyes. The Etherals were known to speak very rarely and used their magics even more rarely as it was among the most powerful in the realms. Hence, when one spoke, all listened. And when Cale spoke, everyone gave her space. As with all on the Counsel, she was ancient. The race of Etherals had existed before the Underground and Aboveground were separated. It was there magic that had created the rift – to maintain the balance. The Etherals were said to be Fae who had once walked the plane of existence like all other mortals and creatures of magic, but their devotion and love of the underground had become so strong, their magic so powerful, that they transcended corporeal life.  
  
"I do."  
  
"And who would that be, dearest Goblin King?" Her lilting voice held no patronizing tone, only sought answers.  
  
"Areyne of the Darken Fae, my Lady."  
  
"RIDICULOUS! Her voice holds no clout!" Came the loud objection from the far left of the council. There stood Arimgin. He had been one of the loudest members dismissing her family from the fae lands. It had been rumored, but never proven, that if Arimgin backed the Miira in the expulsion of Areyne, that she would agree to grant the rotund man the young girl's family lands. Coincidentally, he now resided on those lands. "Her family is disgraced, of course she would lie! Of course she would do anything to get back at the lover who scorned her!" Cale turned to face him, though no emotion was ever shown on any Ethereal's face, the aura surrounding her had grown dark, and she was clearly angered.  
  
Everything went quiet and all eyes focused on Cale. She turned to face Jareth again. "Bring forth Areyne and I will read her."  
  
Everyone gasped and quiet whispers of surprise and fear were heard thoughout the chamber. Ethereals were the most powerful beings in the Underground, but they were also goverened by the highest morals. They saw no need for material gains and thus were unswayed by money or power. They existed in the balance and sought to maintain it. One of their less understood abilities was to perform a reading and when done, the answers they opened were final – there could be no doubt. Areyne was to have her soul presented before the council – barred open and the truth shown. If she tried to conceal the truth, hide her intentions, her soul would be torn open and she would be left as an empty shell. That garish fact was why the room stood still when Areyne entered. Because their judgement could be so cruel, readings were forbidden, unless the circumstances were dire, and only an Ethereal could call for one.  
  
Jareth and Areyne stood in his room now, she looked to him with no fear in her eyes. He took her hands and in an instant they stood before the council. Areyne stepped forward, her long hair pulled back from her face, her strength showing clearly. Cale moved forward to position herself in front of the young fae. There was no fear upon her face or in her eyes, she had nothing to hide. Without warning, Cale stepped inside of Areyne.  
  
Blue light radiated from Areyne's body, out her mouth and eyes, from her fingers and toes. She was lifted to the center of the room and floating there, arms spread, her soul was barred. Each of her recent encounters with Stark, all of her past encounters with him, his lies and betrayal, his delving into the dark magiks, his brutal attack on her life, and something not even Jareth had known, something that caused those on the council that had stood against her to hang their heads in sorrow and shame, all of these images were presented to them, etched upon her soul, now bared for the would to pay witness to. She had been pregnant with his child – and he had seen to it, through the dark arts – that her child had never been born.  
  
The image before the council was that Areyne in a field kneeling  
before an enraged Stark. She was young, her hair hanging  
loosely, just past her shoulders. Her hair was auburn, but her  
eyes were still pale blue. She would have been beautiful, had  
not sorrow scarred her lovely face.  
  
"Stark please, I am begging you, do not do this!"  
  
"How could you think that telling me this would please me? Why  
couldn't you have just run off into the forest to whelp your  
little mutt alone with that thing you have been seen with  
lately! How dare you try to disgrace me in this way!" Stark's  
anger continued to build. "It probably isn't mine, you dirty  
whore. Is it his? Is it that dark elf's creature that is  
festering inside you?"  
  
"Please, the child is to be ours. It is your son. I have only  
ever been with you Stark, and though we have not spoken in  
weeks, I thought, I thought your child would...."  
  
"You thought. There is a laugh. You thought by telling me you  
were pregnant with our child that you would monopolize my time.  
That I would turn to you and suddenly become a loving and caring  
man, content to raise that disgusting thing in your rotting womb  
as a family. You thought to steal my power. You thought to  
steal me away from the magiks. You disgust me. You are  
nothing. And because you are nothing you deserve nothing" He  
was kneeling in front of her and with a word his hand began to  
glow a sickly greenish black color.  
  
Areyne tried to run, tried to scream out to anyone, but she was  
paralyzed by some unknown magic. Stark smiled and in an  
instant, reached his hand through her gown, through her skin,  
into her belly, and murdered the life that was inside her. A  
black ink seemed to ooez forth from where his hand still latched  
inside her, it crawled up her chest and into her mouth. She  
stared in horror as it covered her body, then retreated. He  
pulled his hand back and released her from the spell. She fell  
to the ground clutching her abdomen, knowing that she was now  
and forever barren.  
  
He smirked and pulled at a piece of her now darkened hair,  
"Black looks good on you, whore." He stood and stared down at  
the frozen woman. "It probably wasn't even mine." Spitting on  
her face, he turned on his heel and left, muttering "Whore" And  
he was gone.  
  
Areyne was left to sob in the field alone, as the rain started  
to fall. The last image the council saw as the soul-telling  
faded, was a black hawk land beside the sobbing woman, the rain  
falling on her frail form, and then all was dark.  
  
Areyne returned to the floor and collapsed into Jareth's arms as the Etheral released her. She looked up into Jareth's eyes, reading the horror etched into them, she quietly rested her head upon his chest, whispered "I'm sorry," and passed out.  
  
Derkean Skillian spoke, and his voice was grave. "Jareth, Goblin King of the fifth kingdom, based upon Counselor Cale's reading of Areyne of the Darken Fae, I hereby grant you the permission of the Underground to find Stark and punish him for the kidnapping of which he is accused. I also grant you the following choice, Stark may be brought before the Council on charges of practicing of forbidden majiks, assault, kidnapping, murder and any additional charges to yet be revealed, or, I am willing to allow you to choose to hold Ultimate Judgement. Stark is already guilty by the reading, and due to the severity of his crimes, would be exiled above ground without magic, our only recourse. However, the Counsel accepts whatever punishment you would see fit to give." All of the counsel members agreed and nodded their heads. Even Armigin had been moved. "Then, the choice is yours. The law of the Underground is beside you, whatever course of action you choose. Go now, and find the woman."  
  
Jareth nodded, and in an instant, was gone back to his study holding the now conscious and shaken Areyne.  
  
"I must go and speak with Stark's mother." Derkean said quietly. "I must know the truth and must make sure that she sees what we witnessed here. Cale, will you accompany me? This will not be easy." Derkean knew that to maintain peace was going to be a difficult task, but with the Etheral by his side, they would not fail. Either the Queen would accept, or she would be removed from power.  
  



	11. Promethius Reborn

Standard Disclaimer – no ownership of Labyrinth  
  
Enjoy!  
  
XI: Promethius Reborn  
  
Stark sauntered in to a dimly lit Chicago night club dressed in black leather pants and a tight gray shirt. It was 1:20 am and the place reeked of smoke and perfume. He was looking for someone, some woman who would be more than happy to come "home' with him. As much as he abhorred the stench of the Aboveground, this was necessary. He spotted a blonde near the bar, thin and young, and obviously influenced by some manner of intoxicant. She wasn't nearly as sexual as Jareth's little beast, but she would serve her purpose – possibly even more than one purpose – he thought as a wicked grin formed on his lips.  
  
"What do you need?" The bartender yelled over the loud house music.  
  
"Chianti will do." The bartender brought the red wine and yelled "This is all we have for wine, eight bucks."  
  
Stark rolled his eyes and muttered something so the bartender would believe he had been paid. He then turned his attention to the blonde. She was alright and would serve his purposes. Tall, thin, large breasts and an entirely too short black dress. He walked up behind her and purred into her ear, "I hate crowds, but I certainly don't mind being close to you."  
  
The woman turned as if to tell the stranger to take a hike, until she saw him. He was easily the most gorgeous man in the entire club. She took a step back, looked him up and down and offered her hand, "Steph." was all she said.  
  
Taking her hand and gently kissing it, he then pulled her close. Majik eminated from his body and the woman could barely resist tearing off his clothes. "Shall we leave?" He asked, and the woman simply nodded. Stark looked over at the sleeping woman. The sex hadn't nearly been anything worthwhile, but it would hold him until he was able to take Sarah in front of Jareth. It had only been a half hour but as soon as he had finished, the creature had passed out cold. The bruises on the girls wrists, matching the ones she had put on arms, were still enticing and he could feel himself getting firm as he imagined that the thing on his bed was Sarah. That human woman, Jareth's mortal, was driving him insane with lust. But he needed to bide his time. He also needed this little thing on his bed to do what he had brought her here to do in the first place. "Wake up," Stark growled.  
  
"Yes?" she yawned as she tried to curl up next to him again. But Stark stood and with a wave of his hand, both were fully dressed in the clothes that they had worn the night before. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her from the bed. "Hey! That hurts!" the woman yelled.  
  
"Quiet." Stark said in an even tone. It was taking every bit of strength he had not to send her back Aboveground or kill her on the spot. She was annoying him with everything she did. Her voice, her stench, her sub-par sexual ability. Mortals were so annoying. In an instant, the two were in a dark cavern, the only light was emanating from a small marble on the floor. "I need you to do me a favor, Steph." It was more of a command than a request and the woman tried to take a step away. He grabbed her wrist, being as careful as he could not to hurt her. He had wasted too much time already.  
  
The woman looked at him slightly confused and very tired, but nodded.  
  
"Good, bit...girl. I need you to pick up that marble and place it in this pouch, alright?" Stark asked, his patience growing thin.  
  
"Why can't you?" She asked, regretting it when she saw the disgust upon his face. "Alright, sure, just ah, pick it up and put it in this bag. I can do that." She took the small velvet pouch from Stark and shakiliy picked up the small baseball-sized stone. "There, done." She handed the bag to Stark and was gone. The next thing she knew, she was in the alley behind the nightclub and it was 2 a.m. "I gotta really layoff." And she stumbled away back into the club.  
  
Back in his manor, Stark carefully emptied the contents of the bag onto a pedestal beside his throne. It would serve its purpose perfectly, he just had to be careful he never touched it.  
  



	12. The Past

Standard Disclaimer – No ownership of Labyrinth  
  
Peace out!  
  
XII: The Past  
  
The strange elf stared at Sarah not moving, not saying a word. Sarah stared back with her one good eye, not knowing what to do next. He stood about her height, white hair flowing past his shoulders and ice blue eyes staring through her. There was no expression on his face and his body, what she could see, was toned and well muscled. He wore a pair of midnight blue breeches, that were well torn. Aside from that, his left ear was covered in silver hoops and he wore steel cuffs on both wrists. Sarah backed up slowly into the nothingness, away from the imposing figure, never taking her eyes from the elf.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked shakily, wincing at the pain the ring was causing her.  
  
"Who are you?" Came the deep throaty reply.  
  
"Sarah."  
  
"Xaven"  
  
Sarah doubled over in pain and pulled again at the ring, blood oozing out of her finger. "Damn it." Dizziness set in, and Sarah began to fall. Instead of finding herself crashing to the stone floor, she found she was being gently laid down and her head resting in the black elf's lap.  
  
"Rest. His majik is working it's way though your system. Before long, you will be too weak to speak."  
  
"Are you trying to comfort me? Cause it's not working very well." Sarah asked through gritted teeth while tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, the salt stinging the swollen one.  
  
"I am so sorry child. I wish things were not this way, for either of us."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"You really shouldn't speak, you will waste your energy." Xaven said, his icy eyes echoed her own pain.  
  
"It's a better way to spend my time than waiting for whatever Stark has planned." She winced again, feeling the darkness spread. "Why are you here? Do you work for Stark?" Sarah asked, tredidation on the edges of her question.  
  
A deep laugh came forth from the dark elf, and his eyes seemed to echo the humor. "I hold more hatred for that thing, than you could ever know, child. No I do not work for him. And I will tell you if I could get these bracers off of my arms and free my magic, then he would know pain beyond this realm." He smiled sadly and began to stroke Sarah's hair, seeing the pain so clear upon her face.  
  
The dark fae's gestures coupled with the pain coursing through Sarah's arm eliminated her fear. Besides, there really wasn't anything else to do but to talk with the strange, tattooed man who had just saved her from splitting her head open and who was now, very gently, massaging her head. Something in her told her to trust the man who was locked away in this hell with her. When he didn't answer her original question, she asked again, "What did you do to find yourself here?"  
  
Xaven sighed, "I fell in love with the wrong woman." Seeing the confusion in Sarah's eyes, Xaven sighed again. "I suppose there is no harm is speaking of the past given our, ahem, present situation."  
  
Making sure the woman on his lap was comfortable, Xaven began his story, "Within the fourth kingdom, my mother was the matriarch of our tribe, myself the eldest son of the ruling house. Darken fae, my kind, are keepers of the night, worshipping the stars and tending to all that thrive in hours after the sun has set. Our kind love the night and all that flourish in it. We are a peaceful race, much akin to our light skinned breathren. We worship life and life in all forms is sacred to our kind. Years ago I witnessed the most horrible of abominations. In a clearing at dusk, the man you and I know as Stark was meeting with a woman. My Goddess what a woman. She was perfection, and from the moment I had seen her, my heart and soul were hers." There was a sadness and a depth of love in his voice that Sarah found comfort in. Her compassion for this strange fae grew every moment they spent together. " I had seen her wandering the clearings at night a hundred times." Xaven's demeanor shifted, it was no longer cold, but full of passion, "She was beautiful, but I knew her heart belonged to another, belonged to that foul creature Stark, and I also knew the pain he was causing her." He smiled to himself, "She liked to talk to flowers and I happened to listen to them and to her from time to time, wishing I could be the flower, comforting her in my presence. However, Darken fae are not generally accepted among the fairer races. Being bathers of the night sky, we just do not interact. It is not that it is forbidden, it is just not done. But I digress, Stark stood over her and a majik began to radiate from him – I tried to move, but was paralyzed, everything was," He closed his eyes and sighed, "I could only watch in horror as he reached into her and destroyed the life growing inside of her." Anger filled his ice blue eyes, eccentuating the coal black of his skin and turning his white hair to fire. "He was gone in an instant, and when I could again move, I flew down beside her as a black hawk and there took my fae shape. I allowed her to cry herself to sleep upon my lap. It was as if she knew she was safe beside me. We spent several days together, I helped her recover from the trauma that Stark had caused. She told me that when she confronted the counsel, they had banished her. My tribe took her in and, in time, the love I felt for her was returned in full. She consented to be my chosen, and in time, would have been my wife. I loved her, with all of my soul I loved her. We were to be joined. I still love her. No other shall ever replace her in my heart." His voice trailed off.  
  
After a few moments of silence, Sarah spoke "What happened? Why are you here and not with her?" her voice was barely a whisper, not from weakness, but from being touched so deeply by the passionate story of the elven, who only moments before she had feared.  
  
"Stark learned, somehow, of us, of our love, of her happiness. I was lured into a clearing and attacked. I was shackled with these bracers, nullifying my magic, and beaten and brought here. Stark delighted in telling me that he had told the counsel of the "banished one" living as one of our tribe. The tribe had to exile her or they too would have been banished. That was the last he told me of her."  
  
"I am so sorry." Sarah said, forgetting the pain that had worked it's way across her chest and was slowly consuming her body. "I am so sorry," She repeated.  
  
"Tell me now, why are you here? "  
  
"I think he wants to hurt Jareth, the Goblin King. I think he plans to use me to do it. Although he is a fool is he thinks Jareth will just lie down and give him what he wants."  
  
"Jareth? The name is familiar. I think my love mentioned him once, the King of the fifth kingdom. Lord of Goblins."  
  
"He is so much more than that. I didn't realize it until now, but he is the only man I will ever love. I would never do anything to harm him or endanger him. I would give my life, dignity, pride, and self for him. I won't allow Stark to use me and if Stark thinks for a moment that I would, he is dead wrong. I love Jareth. I wish there were a word stronger than love. It's as if we were created to be together."  
  
"There is a saying where I am from, 'that one soul is created so that two may share it'. There is a ritual that shows if the souls are connected called the illis or the joining. Perhaps he is the other half of your soul, the way my love was the other half of mine. You know, child, you smell like her."  
  
"How do you mean?" Sarah asked, tears staining her cheeks.  
  
"You smell of orchids and white magic, just like my Areyne...."  
  
"Areyne......Areyne of the Darken Fae?"  
  
"That was to be her title, once we were joined. My Goddess she was beautiful..."  
  
Sarah's excitement was exploded in one statement "She lives, Xaven, she lives." Excitement grew in her voice while confusion mixed with a touch of anger set upon the dark elf's face. Sarah tried to stand, but the pain flowed to her head, and she grew dizzy. Still she tried to stand and Xaven stood beside her holding her for balance. "In the fifth kingdom, in Jareth's kingdom, the Goblin King's kingdom, my love's kingdom! Xaven, that is where she lives! I have seen her, spoken with her! She is a friend to the Goblin King, at least I think they are friends, I think.... Owwww" and Sarah leaned heavily on the dark fae.  
  
"Shhhh, rest now. Don't work yourself up, my lady. The majik is taking hold, you must be imagining it, rest now."  
  
"No, Xaven." And Sarah stared hard into his eyes, hope and brutal honesty mixing in her bloodshot orbs, "She lives."  
  
Xaven's elation was cut down as Sarah collapsed to the floor and began to convulse in pain, the dark majik consuming her being.  
  
"Goddess be with you," Xaven whispered as he kneeled beside her and stroked her hair, whispering a ancient prayer to whomever would hear. And Illianna heard.  
  
Jareth stared at Areyne, pain and concern etched into his porceline face. "I am so sorry, I had no idea the depth of pain. Areyne, had I known..."  
  
Her blue eyes rose from the floor to stare into his mismatched ones, "And what would you have done, my friend? Killed him? Begun a war that would have ended all Illianna and the other had strived and sacrificed to achieve?" There was no anger in her voice, just solomn understanding – as if she had been over this a million times in her head. "I realized long ago my banishment maintained the peace. No one would have believed me had I fought against him. The peace was too fragile. As it lies now, Jareth, it took the kidnapping of your Chosen and the reading of all of my dealings with Stark to prove to the counsel that this man is beyond insane, that to let him remain here in the Underground would jeopardize the peace far more than any of us can imagine."  
  
Jareth paused and took her hand, "There was a time between your banishment and when you came to me, where did you go?"  
  
For the first time, Areyne's eyes filled with tears, "I never told you. I never wanted to relive it." Jareth stared at her, he knew of no way to comfort her, no way to offer her the sanctuary she needed. Her heart and soul had been shredded by Stark and she had stitched them back together with time. "The Darken Fae took me in. Stark knew of it. Stark hated that I had fallen in love with another man, that I had found my soul mate, he hated me. He enjoyed watching me suffer, tormenting me. One night, my love never returned home. It was because of his disappearance that I was banished from the fourth kingdom completely. He came to me days later and told me he had murdered my love. I tried to kill him then and there, to destroy him.....he was too strong and I was to weak from grief and hunger. He took everything from me time and again, and yet there was no way to fight it. He laughed in my face and spit on me, calling me a whore and a dog, a traitor. He took it all, first my child, then my love, now you and yours. I don't understand Jareth.....I...I had wandered for days before you found me. I nearly went insane with grief, the pain was too much," Areyne shook her head and fought the tears that poured down her cheeks. Breathing deeply, she straightened and slowly raised her head to look into his eyes again. Gone was the gentle blue kindness, the soft sadness that had always radiated from her eyes. Gone was the soft smile and easy grace that permeated her being. It had been replaced by a cold, calculating, seething anger. Her eyes changed before him, from blue to steel gray and her countenance would have caused any other many to shrink away from her in fear.  
  
Jareth smiled wickedly, he always knew she had a dark side. "For too long you have fought your anger, dearest friend."  
  
"For too long I have been helpless."  
  
"He will pay for all he has done."  
  
"We will find Sarah in his estate, on the edge of the fourth kingdom. That is where he took her."  
  
"Can you transport us there?"  
  
"I am afraid not. I only saw it once from a great distance, I was never inside. I doubt he remembers that he showed it to me while it was being created. We will be miles from the estate, I don't know how far. Are you ready? " Areyne asked, there was no fear nor any other emotion in her voice, simply fact.  
  
"Are you?"  
  
In an instant they were gone from the chamber and now sat astride two black horses in the middle of a clearing. In front of them sat the Sheirtaken Mountains and on one of the low plateaus sat Stark's Manor House. Created from polished red granite, the building looked as if it were a bleeding sore in the flesh of the rocks. "There," Areyne pointed in the distance. "I tried to get us closer, but it is warded. Jareth, I know that is where he has her, and I believe he knows we are coming to him."  
  
Jareth's voice dripped with hatred as rage seethed from his very essence, "Then we mustn't disappoint him." With a kick of his heel, Jareth's mount took off at a gallop for the manor with Areyne only a stride behind. "I'm coming for you my love. Pease hold on."  
  



	13. Illianna

No Ownership of Labyrinth by me.  
  
13 is a lucky number!  
  
Chapter XIII: Illianna  
  
Sarah was in the park, dressed again in her princess gown that had been one of her mother's old costumes. She was rehearsing a play. She had rehearsed it a thousand times before and always loved the final scene. Merlin sat attentively in front of her, panting.  
  
"Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen."  
  
"He didn't really steal him you know." A woman's voice shattered Sarah's concentration and she whirled around to see her mother sitting on a bench watching her intently. "You asked him to take Toby."  
  
"Mom?" Sarah asked, as tears began to well in her eyes. Forgetting her rehearsal, Sarah ran to her mother's side and sat at her feet, resting her head upon her lap. "I missed you so much....why did you leave me? It wasn't fair that you had to go and, and.....you never should have gotten on that plane. How are you here?" Sarah pulled away from her mother's caress and looked into her soft green eyes.  
  
"Sarah, there is something you need to know, something that is so important right now. Do you know where you are?"  
  
Sarah looked confused, "I'm in the park, by Karen and Dad's place. I come here a lot. I know Karen can't stand when I take Merlin out, but it's not like......"  
  
"Sarah, you aren't in the park."  
  
Sarah looked confused and frightened, as if she was fighting with the reality of the situation.  
  
"Sarah, you are in a steel crystal in the Manor House of Stark, in the Underground. You are there with another of his prisoners, one he loves dearly to torment. You are there because Jareth, the Goblin King, loves you." Sarah began to pull away, fear creeping in to her expression. "And you are there only because you do not realize the power you possess."  
  
"No, I am here, in the park, with Merlin, and you, my mother. I am not in the Underground, I am safe here at home."  
  
Taking a deep breath, the woman stood and offered Sarah her hands. Sarah took her hands and the two were now standing over Sarah's and Xaven's bodies. Xaven who quietly whispered some chant she did not recognize while stroking Sarah's sweating forehead. Sarah looked down at herself and remembered it all. She looked down to the other Sarah's ring finger and saw a dark ink spider webbing up her arms and through her veins. It was past her chest and had begun to climb her neck. She turned to the woman beside her "What can I do? I don't want to die, I want to be with Jareth, I want to help Xaven, I.."  
  
Sarah's mother interrupted her "Did you get the book Toby sent you?"  
  
Sarah's jaw dropped open as she was caught mid-sentence. "Um, ah, auh, um, yeah, the Labyrinth. Yeah, I got it before I left. In fact I was reading it the night that, um, that Jareth brought me here. But what does that have to do with......I really don't think that this is the time or place to be discussing......"  
  
Sarah was interrupted again "Jareth did not bring you here. You brought yourself."  
  
The confusion was evident on Sarah's face. "I don't understand....."  
  
"What did you feel when you opened the book?"  
  
"What? Why are you asking me these things?"  
  
"What did you feel?"  
  
"God, I don't know. I felt a fuzzy jolting kind of pain, it shot up my arms and made me dizzy. I've felt it a couple of times now, whenever I get really excited, why? Am I sick?"  
  
"No, my dearest child. You are not sick nor will you ever be." Staring her right in the eyes, the woman spoke "Sarah, you were half Fae." Before Sarah's eyes, her mother changed. Not completely, her green eyes remained the same, but her image, it was as if some artist had turned her into a fairy queen, her hair was longer and smoother, there was no testament of time on her face, she was truly the most regal and beautiful looking woman Sarah had ever seen, "My name is Illianna and I am you mother."  
  
"You're the one that......"  
  
"Yes, I was banished from the Underground. I lived in the Above world for a very long time before I met your father. More time than you can image. Time passes differently in the Underground, and time is of no consequence to an immortal. When I met your father, I thought I had found love. We had one daughter, you, and then I knew I had found love. I could tell that you were strong from the moment you were born – you radiated power even though you were only half Fae. I think you frightened your father, I know I did, and that is why I had to leave. Sarah, you have always known you were different. Always felt as though there were more. You have always fought it though haven't you?"  
  
"I guess, why are you here? Why tell me all of this now when I am so close to.....to...." Frustrated and hurt by the truth, Sarah turned away, allowing the anger to build insider her as her mother continued.  
  
"You mystical side is why you were able to win against all odds when challenged by the Goblin King and the Labyrinth. Your mystical side was why you were able to call Jareth into your dreams, and why you were able to return here. Sarah, I know how hurt you were when I 'died', but I didn't leave you."  
  
"How the hell would you know anything?" Sarah growled through clenched teeth, not looking at the woman standing behind her.  
  
"I have always watched over you. Fae are immortal creatures, and immortality, for all of its wonderful blessings, can be a curse. I was condemned to live Aboveground, without my own people. I could never have told you of this place and lost you to it, to where I could never return. I know it was selfish, but before, before you never would have been accepted here. So I passed into the ether and passed on to you a gift. Many Fae pass over to the ether when they grow tired of this world. In doing so, we can travel between realms and are not restricted by time or physics. The price is to lose our magic. I made the choice to pass all of myself to you, daughter.  
  
"What are you saying?" Sarah turned back, so many questions written in her expression. "Why did you sacrifice yourself, your magic?"  
  
There was no sadness on Illianna's face, only the sweet smile a mother can give to her daughter when she is so proud of the woman she has become. "To make you whole. You are fighting what you already know, what you have been feeling since you opened that book – you are Fae. But the more you hold back, the more you will be weakened by Stark. I was never a mother to you, my precious and beautiful daughter, but this gift, the gift of my immortality and magic, the magic I placed inside the book that transferred to you when you opened it, that gift will give you the home you never knew here in the Underground. Use it, use it and fight the darkness that is tainting your blood, fight it and...."  
  
"Stop it!" Sarah screamed, as the dark ink that oozed up her corporeal body reached her ears and eyes and crept toward her mouth stinging her like a thousand needles over every inch of her body that it touched. The same fuzzy pain she had felt before again encompassed her entire body, but she didn't notice it. All of the confusion and pain was just too much and she was beyond rational thought. Stark's dark majik was consuming her and her mother and the ethereal realm in which she stood was fading from her site.  
  
"YOU MUST FIGHT IT, SARAH!" Illianna yelled to her daughter, reaching to grab ahold of her and watching her arms pass through her. "SARAH!" Sarah screamed, a scream that would have shattered glass had there been any. She could feel the power her mother had spoken of building inside her, just as the anger and rage and pain had. It was pushing against the darkness, but she could feel it slipping. And then she was gone.  
  
"Give in to the powers I gave you Sarah, it is the only way you can beat this." Illianna pleaded with the air, hoping that the message would get through to her daughter. "Hurry to her Jareth, I don't know that I did enough. I'm sorry daughter, I tried." And just as Sarah had disappeared, so too did her mother.  
  
Jareth and Areyne raced towards the manor house upon the backs of their magical mounts, but without a destination clearly in mind, and with Stark's majik having grown so strong, there was no way for the two to simply transport themselves into his throne room without having a clear mental image of it. There was too much danger and Jareth would not risk it, not while there was still a chance they could make it. Time was fast fading and Jareth knew it. Four hours remained, but Jareth truly doubted that Stark would honor that time agreement once he knew how close he was.  
  
Without warning, the mystical horses the two rode skiddered to a blinding stop and faded. The two riders deftly landed on their feet, but caution immediately took over. Jareth and Areyene instinctively stood back to back, Jareth drawing a crystal, Areyne preparing to conjure.  
  
"There is no need for all of this, my friend." Came the familiar voice, and instantly Jareth relaxed. "They need you." Illianna appeared before them. She was not the same woman that appeared to Sarah as a mother, and was not the Fae Jareth had known so long ago. Her entire demeanor was pale and ghostly, but with a warm rose glow about it. She was not physical, but not wholly ethereal – she was a passed fae, and she was magnificent in her true form. She was as the mist, and there was a sadness to her countenance.  
  
"Illianna?" Jareth asked, a thousand unasked questions refusing to spill from his lips as concern for his friend fought against his urgent need to rescue his love.  
  
"Shhhhh, there is no time. Stark's majik is consuming her. I have done all I can, the challenge is hers now." Illianna paused, as if lost in thought, before she continued. "I have passed beyond this realm, Jareth. I have no more magic to give and cannot help you beyond this." Illianna leaned in and touched her airy forehead to Jareth's, revealing to him the details of Stark's manor and sharing his mind. "You can now teleport there safely. With the clearest of images of Stark's throne room in your mind, there will be no danger. Now go."  
  
"Illianna..."  
  
"Go Jareth, please, save my daughter."  
  
Jareth nodded and turned toward Areyne. "Are you ready?" Areyne didn't even answer, just stared into his eyes without fear, with only confidence.  
  
And they were gone.  
  



	14. Metamorphosis

No ownership of Labyrinth.........get the picture?  
  
#14 is up – enjoy.  
  
XIV: Metamorphosis  
  
Sarah lay motionless in Xaven's lap. After the darkenss had consumed her body, Xaven knew it would be too late to save her. Still, he held on to her, whispering a quiet chant, urging her still body to fight. "Sarah, please, come back.."  
  
"Oh she will come back, you just won't like how she comes back, X-sy."  
  
Xaven didn't even turn, he knew that if he tried to fight, Stark would cause the gauntlets on his wrist to simply knock him unconscious. He needed to be awake for Sarah. She was the first reason he had in a long time to fight, and he wasn't about to let her go gently into the night. With rage on the edges of his voice he spoke deliberately, "What did you do to her?"  
  
"My my my my, my little X-stacy, you have grown up now haven't you? Not to long ago you would have run at me, attempting to pummel me into a bleeding mass, all to no avail of course. Now look at you, such a good little lap dog." Stark walked close to them and bent down eye to eye with Xaven. "It kills you inside, doesn't it? You couldn't save this one, just like you couldn't save the whore you loved. If an animal such as yourself could love."  
  
It took all of Xaven's mental strength not to gouge out Stark's eyes.  
  
"Pity," was all Stark said. With a wave of his wrist, Sarah's eyes fluttered open. Her entire countenance was changed. She looked stronger, more awake than when Xaven had first seen her. Her eyes were darker though, and Xaven couldn't read them. Sadness clouded over his face as an innocent smile spread over her lips and she sat up, looking perfectly without pain, perfectly oblivious to the hell they were trapped inside. She looked at Stark and smiled even wider, adoration beaming from her body. With one fluid movement, she stood beside him, laced her arm in his and rested her head upon her chest.  
  
"Where are we, my love?" Her voice sounded hollow to Xaven, and his jaw quivered in anger and despair. He had failed her, just as he had failed his Areyne.  
  
"You see X, she is fine. In fact, I like her better this way, don't you? She is a perfect mindless creature, concerned only with pleasure and whatever I say is what gives her pleasure, isn't that right my little whore?" Stark asked, putting emphasis on each word. "Now," he began, turning back to Xaven, "Sarah and I have some business to attend to. I need to make sure that Jareth is watching when his little pet denounces him and consummates our newly formed bond."  
  
"Where are we going?" Came the innocent request.  
  
"To visit with an old friend or two, little girl." Stark said, his air oozing a patronizing tone.  
  
"Oh. That's nice. Why does the puppy look so sad?" Sarah said, a pout on her lips as she stared empty mindedly at Xaven.  
  
"Because he isn't invited, pet."  
  
"Ooooh." And Sarah pouted again. "Can he come with, my dearest? Please?" Her face, her expression, her very being was that of a child. It troubled Stark for a moment that his spell had merely regressed her to a child and not turned her into a mindless zombie. Perhaps he had dumbed the spell down too much for the mortal. One had to be extremely careful when constructing spells for mortals, they couldn't take nearly as much punishment as a Fae, and if the spell had been too strong, his delightful image of Jareth lying broken and emotionally tormented at his feet would not come to pass. It would just not be so. Jareth had to pay, had to see his one true love denounce him. Still, her child-like ness bothered him. He hated children and this troubled him. Well, it troubled him until she laid her lips upon his, tracing her fingers over his chest. When she pulled away, she stared into his surprised eyes, the innocence still dancing in her darkened ones. As she bit her lower lip and ran her finger softly against his, she whispered, "Please? I like it when the puppy cries."  
  
Stark smiled wickedly, his spell, though off, seemed to have worked far better than he could have imagined. He chocked it up to being that he didn't often cast spells on mortals, but this one, this one had turned this simp into everything he desired. She bowed to his will, had the intelligence of a child, and seemed to have a sexual appetite that would need to be answered. "Pleeeeeease?" Came the soft purr again, as she pressed herself closer to him, running her knee up his thigh. Stark rolled his eyes back into his head and let out a deep breath. "Anything you would like, my little pet, anything at all."  
  
"Goody." She asked, her adoring eyes peering into his.  
  
"Now, we should go, we will have plenty of time for pleasantries in, look at that, three hours."  
  
The three of them were then in Stark's throne room. Stark lounged effortlessly on his throne. To his right, on the floor sat Sarah, her adoring eyes never leaving her new found love. To his left, Xaven sat, a metal collar around his neck and a chain latched to the floor. He looked and felt completely destitute.  
  
"I was never very good at waiting." Pouted Stark. "Three hours is much too long, don't you agree, pet?"  
  
Sarah only stared adoringly at him. "Whatever you wish, darling.".  
  
"I think three hours is far too long so," a clock appeared before him with thirteen hours on it, ticking down. "Now there is only one!" Stark clapped with glee at his little trick. Sarah too, clapped and giggled. She then stood up and danced around the throne room. When she reached Xaven she stopped, a wicked smile spreading across her face.  
  
"Can the puppy dance for me?" She asked, sitting herself on Stark's lap. "Please?" she whispered into his ear, letting her hot breath flow down his neck. "Pretty, pretty, please, my love?" she nipped at his ear, and let her tongue trace the outside.  
  
Stark groaned. It was getting harder to wait for Jareth to show up. But he would wait, he would wait for Jareth to watch him claim Sarah as his. "Please, my darling?"  
  
"Of course, whatever you desire, whore." Stark purred and waved his hand to release the chain collar off of Xaven's neck. Xaven didn't move. With the bracers still in place, he was powerless against Stark. Sarah lept off of Stark's lap and took Xaven by the hands and pulled him out into the open area in front of the throne room.  
  
"Dance with me puppy!" She yelled in a shrill voice, but her eyes held something that gave Xaven hope.  
  
Stark watched the two 'dance' in front of him, Sarah pulling on Xaven's arms. It looked ridiculous so instead he sat thinking of how he would ravage the innocent mortal, and then possibly kill her in front of Jareth.. The look on the child-like mortal's face might be devilishly fun to see as he stabbed her in the heart, thereby breaking his spell. With her dying eyes she would see her love and know what she had done. Yes, he would kill her in front of Jareth, and then make both Jareth and Xaven watched as he claimed Areyne as his own, and possibly killed her as well. Today was going to be fantastic!  
  
Sarah kept smiling as she danced with Xaven, but there was no smile in her eyes, only calm, calculating, cold intelligence. As they spun about the room, appearing as fools to Stark, Sarah laid her hands on his gauntlets, pulling their majik from them. She absorbed the darkness and the power of the gauntlets, freeing Xaven from his powerless state. His eyes opened in shock as Sarah's voice drifted into his head while her appearance remained that of a child, dancing and singing.  
  
I've been acting the part Stark wants me to play. Stark doesn't know what I am, thinks his spell worked.  
  
How are you able.....aren't you a.....  
  
A final gift from my mother, her magic and the knowledge to use it. I will explain more later, I promise. Do not be frightened, I never was under his spell, but I have read his mind and know what his plans are. We don't have much time. I have cast wards upon him so that he will not detect our magics, but we must be careful.  
  
My magic?  
  
The gauntlets are now just pieces of metal on your wrists, I took the dark majik from them. It shouldn't take long for your abilities to return. You will be free soon, my friend.  
  
How?  
  
"Sarah!" Stark called from across the room, "Come here, I think the party is about to begin."  
  
Just follow my lead, and trust me. I promise I will explain soon.  
  
"Coming my love!" Sarah giggled, and pulled Xaven with her, skipping up to the thone. "What party?" she said, plunking herself on his lap again, playing with the buttons on his deep green shirt.  
  
"Oh, a bad man is coming, pet, and he wants to take you from me. Do you want to go wth him?"  
  
A look of terror froze on Sarah's face "No, no, no! Never!"  
  
"Then you must tell him that, and we must show him!"  
  
"Oh, I will, darling." Sarah purred, licking Stark's lips, "I will show the evil man that he can never take me away from my love!" Sarah said with absolute assertion, staring Stark straight in the eyes. "Whatever it takes! Even if I have to kill him!" Stark smiled wickedly at her, picturing in his mind what he would do to her soon in front of Jareth.  
  
Xaven smiled to himself, understanding the true meaning of her words, his smile was replaced by a look that spoke of pure confusion, awe, and shock when Jareth entered the room beside Areyne, the woman he loved. The woman he thought Stark had murdered.  
  
Sarah smiled adoringly at Stark, and purred into his ear "No one can take me from my love."  
  



	15. What you don’t know will kill you

No ownership of Laby.  
  
Long chapter – hope you like.  
  
XV: What you don't know will kill you  
  
Jareth and Areyne materialized at the gates of Stark's manor. It was a terrifying monument to the demonic power of the Fae. The entire estate was cast of blood red marble and blackened steel. It was cold to look upon and would have instilled fear into the pair had their hearts not been steeled against the magic Stark had woven into the building. Spires rose into the air and the courtyard was filled with dead roses and other rotting plants. The place reeked of death and dark majik. Jareth and Areyne looked at one another and nodded, they had to go forward. Areyne voice, barely barely a whisper, broke the stillness.  
  
"This place is a monument to his insanity. Jareth, you must be prepared for the worst, for what you will see when we enter. I know the pain he is capable of inflicting, and he lives for torture, do not let your rage blind you. He may have hurt her....or worse."  
  
Jareth stared straight ahead, his countenance unwavering. "He will pay for the injustices he has brought to us, my friend. And if anything has happened to Sarah, he will pay with his life."  
  
The two strode towards the large black double doors which swung open upon their approach. Neither flinched. The two walked in unison, their boots clicking on the blackened marble floor, walking straight ahead towards what must be the throne room. The manor was simple in design, the only creativity Stark possessed was in his sick tortures, there he was a genius. A staircase loomed before them, and without hesitation the two climbed. Once at the top, two more doors stood. A dull gray scalled creature stood before them, blocking their entrance into the throne room. It stared at nothing, just lolled its lizard-like head back and forth and stared at nothing through vacant eye sockets. Its tail followed its heads movements and flipped back and forth. Drool slipped from its partially opened mouth and pooled on the floor at its feet.  
  
Jareth moved towards the doors, and the creature blocked its path, moving painstakingly slowly. Growing frustrated, Jareth growled. "Let us pass."  
  
The creature turned its eyeless face towards Jareth and rasped a reply slowly, "No man of woman born may asssssk admittanccccce, nor be granted sssssuch without."  
  
"Without what?" Jareth growled through gritted teeth. "I do not have time for this!" Jareth called a crystal to his hand and threw it at the lizard creature. The crystal encompassed the creature, but another appeared instantly where the first had been.  
  
"No man of woman born may assssssssssk admittancccccce, nor be granted ssssssuch without."  
  
Jareth reached to strike the creature but Areyne stopped him by placing her hand upon his shoulder. She moved to stand in front of Jareth and stare into the creatures pathetic, lifeless eyes. "May we pass?" The creature tilted its head and spoke, "Woman may passsssssss, man may passsssssss besssssside woman." And the creature turned to smoke before their eyes. The doors opened to a stairway leading down. Jareth and Areyne looked into one another's eyes and nodded. There was no turning back. Mentally, Jareth asked "Are you ready?" She simply nodded and the two started down the stairs.  
  
At the bottom of the stairs, the pair stood, staring in absolute shock. They were only twenty yards from the throne, but the sight before them left both defenseless. It was not at all the sight either expected. Sarah being tortured or lying at his feet bruised and bloodied, not sitting on his lap giggling like a wood nymph. The site was more than Jareth could bear. Jareth's rage overtook him as he bolted forward. At the same time Jareth's rage was overtaking his sensibilities, Areryne stared open mouthed, before her was the man she had thought dead by Stark's hand. Xaven was sitting beside Stark, head dropped in defeat. She tried to tell herself that this was some kind of trick, some illusion, but when he raised his head and she looked into his eyes, she knew it was him. Areyene raced forward matching Jareth stride for stride, but got no further than five yards before both were stopped by some unseen force. It was as if the two of them had hit a wall. Areyene recoiled and landed hard on the floor. Jareth threw his head back and let out a primal scream of unabashed rage. Nothing would stop him. He took a few steps back and threw crystal after crystal, but the shield holding him back did not budge. Jareth could only seethe as Stark stood up, Sarah beside him smiling innocently.  
  
Stark strode forward, Sarah and Xaven behind him. He was only inches from Jareth, but the barrier in place was too strong to be breached. Knowing that neither Sarah nor Xaven had any power, Stark had placed all his energy into constructing this shield, and it was indeed powerful. Starks eyes told Jareth that all of his magical energy had been expended in creating this and the arrogance of such a move made Jareth's soul burn. Areyene simply stared past Stark into the eyes of the man she loved, too shocked for words. With a deep growl of rage she began to pound on the cell that kept her from Xaven. Xaven moved to kneel in front of her, but Stark viciously punched him in the face, sending him recoiling to his place beside Sarah. Areyne began to conjure and orbs of fire, much akin to Jareth's of crystal, were launched time and again from her hand. Again the shield did not move.  
  
Laughing, Sarah and Stark only stared at the two.  
  
"You can stop wasting your energy, pet. You will need it for later." Stark sneered. "Ahhhhh Jareth, so good of you to join us. I believe you know my bride, Sarah. You know," and he turned to face Areyne, "I believe you know my other pet, don't you? He's the one you left me for, isn't he little whore? He's the one you chose to run to when I finished playing with you. But I will never finish playing with you, whore, never. You are mine." He rose from his kneeling position and stepped back a few paces. "The two of you are just in time for the show!" He said waving his arms dramatically. It was then that Jareth felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach. "Jareth, Jareth, Jareth. You think you are so powerful. The fact is, yes, as you were thinking, this little shield is an embodiment of all of my power, but even that may not have held against a combined onslaught from the two of you. So there," he gestured grandly with his arm to a pedestal that sat beside his throne, on it, a small blue orb sat, the size of an apple, radiating a white glow that eminated to the ceiling and seemed to feed the shield, "lies the orb of Prometheus. It is the orb of protection, and it is extremely powerful. It grants me protection from all kinds of nasties, like you and, once combined with my majik, it was more than enough to stop you." He smiled and stepped only inches from Jareth's face, his tone changing from condescending humor to a deep, seething, loathing anger "All this could have been avoided, all of this really wasn't necessary. You could have simply turned the Labyrinth over to me and been done with it. But now, you have a front row seat to the consummation of our love, the death of Aeryne's little friend, and the subsequent disembowelment of your human. Then, you can watch as I take Aeryne and make her my own as well. Then, while I have you trapped inside of one of my orbs, you can watch as I rule your Labyrinth. Sound like a plan? Well, on with the show!" With that, he turned his back and began to walk to his throne.  
  
Sarah walked to the edge of the shield and looked into Jareth's eyes. Her sweet smile was gone, replaced by a cold and sad look. Closing her eyes, Jareth felt her inside his mind.  
  
"I love you. I always have. I hope you can still love me through what I must do."  
  
Jareth's rage was immediately replaced by confustion. He pounded the shield, unsure as to how his Sarah could be talking with him.  
  
"Trust in me, please. Not even darkness could take my love from you."  
  
And that was all she said. Sarah turned around and walked away. Jareth's horror was complete when she slipped off her gown in one fluid movement, allowing it to fall to the floor and revealing her in all of her nudity. Her back was to Jareth, and all he could see was the sick smile of Stark as he licked his lips. Xaven had slipped to stand beside the pedestal.  
  
"You do know the story behind the orb, don't you X-ie?" Stark asked as Sarah approached. Xaven, remembering Sarah's words and trusting in her, slipped back and took his place beside the throne. "Good boy, you do know." Xaven looked towards Sarah, and for an instant, thought he saw a smile appear upon her lips, but it was gone before he knew if she had heard him. Sarah slowly climbed the stairs to his throne and seductively ran her hand along his thigh as she made her way around to the back of the throne. She leaned in close and licked his neck, letting her tongue slide up to his ear, she whispered into his ear as her hands massaged his shoulders, her hot breath burning in his ears.  
  
In a voice that was both sweet and seductive, Sarah began to speak, "Do you remember, Stark, when I told you I would kill the man who dared try to take me from my love?" As she finished her sentence, Sarah slinked around to front on the stone chair that Stark sat upon and stood fully in front of him.  
  
Stark's eyes were focused on her body. He could not take his eyes from her perfect breasts or her curving skin. He licked his lips in anticipation, glancing up to watch the horrified look upon Jareth's face. "Yes, yes, yes, I remember. And I think you are, my little pet. Killing him. Look at him, look at the man you are killing."  
  
"I am" Sarah said, and with a graceful sweep of her hand, she picked up the crystal from its pedestal and held it in front of her.  
  
"What are you doing?" Stark's bemused expression turned to one of suspicion and anger. His eyes narrowed and his voice seethed with hostility, "Be a good little bitch and put that down! You shouldn't even be able to touch it! What do you think you are doing! You are NOTHING!" Stark voice became a scream as Sarah backed down the steps, and turned her back to him, hurling the orb with all of her strength against the shield. The instant the orb left her hand, Stark was on her, tackling her and throwing her, face first, to the ground.  
  
The world stopped for Jareth the moment he saw her dress fall to the floor. He watched in slow motion as her naked body, a body only he should have ever seen, touched Stark. He saw as she leaned in and heard, somehow, what she whispered into his ear. Realization struck him as though he had just dived into a icy pool of water. Somehow Sarah had tapped into her Fae side and was using her limited magic to project her thoughts. Still, she would be no match for Stark. The slow-motion world continued before his eyes, and he saw her sweep the orb into her hands and walk down the stairs. He saw Stark's rage begin to build, he saw Sarah hurl the blue-white ball of light. And then he saw her fall, and with her fall, all sense of control left his body. Then the shield burst into millions of tiny crystal shards, all reflecting light and emitting a haze, and Jareth blindly strode into Stark's inner sanctum.  
  
Areyne watched at Jareth's feet, never taking her eyes from her lost love. She watched as Sarah made her way around the throne and Xaven stood up, moving his lips as if casting some spell. She was confused, as she saw the enchantment around his wrists, the same type of bracers that prinsoners wear to inhibit their magical abilities. She watched as Sarah took the orb and threw it at the shield. She watched as Stark leapt at her driving her to the ground. She watched, just before the shield burst, as Xaven conjured a white orb and cast it at Stark's back. Then the shield shattered, and she heard Jareth's deliberate footfalls walking blindly into the room. Areyne cleared her throat and raced to his side. With a few simple words, the smoke began to burn away, and Jareth saw his Sarah.  
  
Sarah lay on the floor clutching her jaw. It was bruised and bloodied from the fall, and her wrist was broken. Jareth was beside her in an instant, his cloak around her shoulders. Confustion, fear, anger, sadness, and concern all etched into his fine features. Knowing she was safe with Areyne beside her, Jareth stood and turned, only anger was left in his eyes as he faced Stark. Xaven stood in front of the bound Stark.  
  
Jareth turned to look at the dark elf and then to Stark. Stark lay on the floor bound in a sticky white substance that covered his body and mouth and inhibited his movements. Jareth knelt, his eyes glaring dangerously into Stark's. Stark stared back, hatred seething.  
  
"You're right, you know." Jareth whispered, "It didn't have to be like this. You could have just let me kill you the moment you stepped into my kingdom. But then, that wouldn't have been very fun for me, now would it have?" Jareth stood to his full height and pulled a long dagger from his belt.  
  
"Stop." Her voice was quiet, but strong. Her entire body showed of her ordeal, she was stronger for it, but there would be scars. She was wrapped in Areyne's cloak and she stood behind Jareth. He was shaking with rage. Sarah laid her hand upon Jareth's shoulder. He turned to face her, but couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes. She stepped in front of him and kneeled before Stark, staring him in the eyes.  
  
"You survived for so long by stealing the happiness and love from others. You harbor power as if it is the only means to an end for you. Death would be a respite from your tortured existence." Sarah leaned in closer to him and stared him dead in the eyes, "and I am not that kind." She laid her hands upon his face and closed her eyes. Just as she had done before with the bracers, she drained the dark majik from his body. The darkness flowed from him and into her hands, changing from an inky black, to a pale green as it flowed into her, becoming a part of her essence. When it was done, Stark lay on the floor helpless. Sarah turned raised her hands, expelling the magic into the manor house. Where there had been red and black darkness tainted marble, there was now white and silver. Where there had been images of demons and portraits of Stark, there were now monuments to the Underground. The garden bloomed and the entire manor became a temple to the light, to Sarah's mother, Illianna. When she finished expelling the magic, she collapsed into Jareth's arms. "His magic is gone now, his is still immortal but can never wield it again. He is human." She closed her eyes and he picked her up.  
  
Xaven walked over to stand in front of Jareth, offering to take Sarah from him for the moment. Xaven bowed his head to the Goblin King, "I am Xaven of the Darken Fae. I stood beside your Lady and protected her with what abilities I had under Stark's control. She never gave herself to him, he was never able to harm her short of what you witnessed. I swear to you with my life."  
  
"I know he speaks the truth," Areyne spoke now beside Xaven. Jareth turned to her and she nodded. Jareth then handed the sleeping Sarah to Xaven and kneeled down before Stark.  
  
"I should kill you. I should make you feel all of the pain you have inflicted upon all of those around you. I should have you raped, tortured, disemboweld, lied to, gutted, murdered, and worse for the rest of eternity. But that would never satiate my rage. I would grow bitter if I let your deeds overcome me. I would never be able to look at myself if I committed upon you the atrocities you have committed on countless fae. Instead, I condemn you Stark. Sarah, my mortal, the woman you sought to rape and murder, the woman you underestimated, has taken from you the only thing you ever desired, your power. And so I condemn you, Stark. I condemn you to live a life without magic. Your body has been purged from the ability to ever use it. I would send you above ground, but there you would be an equal to the people. No, you will remain here on the grounds, warded and trapped in the temple of Illianna, the Fae your deeds had banished. You will be the keeper of the grounds, forced to tend a place created by your dark magic. You will neither be able to harm it nor be able to leave it, for it will be heavily warded by the magic that created it. Your magic. So farewell, Stark." Jareth stood and walked toward Areyne, Xaven, and the sleeping Sarah.  
  
He struggled his mouth free of the spider webbing, "Kill me, you coward!" But Jareth kept walking. "She tasted so good, Jareth. That spot between her legs, dripping as I licked it..." he didn't finish the sentence. Jareth was on him in an instant, his gloved fist connecting over and over again until Stark lay swollen and bleeding. Jareth took his dagger and cut Stark down the left side of his face, leaving a biting scar from his forehead over his left eye down to his chin.  
  
"I have nothing against killing you Stark, I just like watching your pain." Jareth spat through gritted teeth. Kicking him once more in the side, and leaving him to wiggle his way out of the encasement, Jareth joined his companions and closed the main doors on Stark's prison. 


	16. Home

I think you know by now that I do not own any part of Labyrinth.  
  
Sniff sniff Hope you like it.....no worries though.....not the end.  
  
XVI: Home  
  
Time held no meaning since Jareth had returned to the castle with Sarah. Xaven and Areyne left him to watch over his unconscious chosen most of the time, and he had not left her side. Hours had turned to days. Areyne brought the anguish-ridden king his meals and wine, but neither was ever touched. He talked with her occasionally, reminiscing on their brief time together in the Underground and lamenting how much time he has lost with her, just as Areyne had lost so much time with Xaven. The pain of seeing her with Stark was still so close to the surface, but Jareth knew he had to face those demons, or be consumed by them.  
  
Areyne brought him his evening meal on the seventh day, and sat beside him. He just kept staring at Sarah, as if she would awaken any moment. He didn't speak for many minutes, just stared at her, lying so pale and small against his giant bed frame, her dark hair creating a deep halo against her white face and pillows. With more remorse than she had ever heard, and with a voice no louder than a whisper, Jareth spoke. "I failed her, Areyne. I failed her in so many ways. I have done nothing but bring her pain and scar her. How will she love me after this?"  
  
"She will. You must have faith in that, Jareth. She loved you when she came here as a child. She loved you through the lost memories. She will love you through...."  
  
"Through my failure." There was a long pause. "Areyne, I need to speak with Xaven. I need to know what happened while she was with him." Areyne stared long and hard at Jareth. She knew that this would be hard for him, that he would have to fight to overcome it.  
  
"I will ask him to come." Areyne stood and crossed to the door. She stopped before she reached it and turned around, "Should you need anything....." and she was gone. Moments later, Xaven appeared at the door. He knocked quietly and walked in. Hesitantly, Jareth stood from his chair at Sarah's beside and motioned for Xaven to take a seat with him in front of the fire. The two looked at one another, both solomn for a long time. Jareth trusted the fae from the reading that Areyne had gone through and from the way he had helped Sarah in their confrontation against Stark and was thrilled that his dear friend had found her love. Yes, he was truly happy for her, and pained at his own love who lay motionless, locked in a magic-levied coma.  
  
Jareth moved uncomfortably in his chair. "I don't know where to begin." Feeling vulnerable did not come easy to the Goblin King and this was the first time in his long life that he had ever felt completely without control. Even when Sarah had been taken, Jareth knew he would get her back, or die trying. But now, she was locked away in sleep, and Jareth was at a loss on how to help her.  
  
"She loves you. She will return to you." The Darken Fae's voice was confident and strong.  
  
Jareth narrowed his eyes and stared and the black skinned fae before him. "How can you be so sure?"  
  
The ice blue eyes of the ebony skinned man did not leave Jareth's mismatched ones. "You are all she talked of when we were imprisoned together. You kept her alive, gave her hope."  
  
Jareth took a long deep breath and braced himself for the question he knew he needed to ask, "I want you to tell me everything that happened, from the moment you saw her."  
  
"My Lord, it is at Areyne's request that we remain here to answer to any needs you may have. But are you sure that you want to know?"  
  
"I need to. I need to know if she will ever awaken from this or if I failed her."  
  
Xaven related the events of his and Sarah's imprisonment. Whenever he mentioned that Stark had touched her, Jareth's anger grew. He knew the Goblin King loved the woman who lay on the bed, and it was for her sake that Xaven was honest with Jareth. To his knowledge, Stark had beaten her, grabbed her, kissed her, threatened her physically and sexually, but had never raped her. He related how Sarah had passed out and when she had awakened, seemed to posses abilities that were innate only to Fae, not to humans, how she had freed his magic and constructed the plan to free both of them from the shield.  
  
"She was originally going to use her magic to defeat Stark, but she was not sure of the limits of her new abilities. That is when I told her of the Promethus orb and how she alone would be able to destroy the shield."  
  
"I don't understand, how? She is..." Jareth shook his head in confusion. "I don't even know what she is. Her mother was Fae, her father is human, but she never showed signs of magic. I assumed that any abilities were latent and she would eventually show signs of slight ability. But never anything like she demonstrated when she took Stark's darkness or when she transformed the manor house.......It just doesn't make sense."  
  
Xaven began to explain "She absorbed Stark's darkness, and the majik from the bracers he placed on me. But I believe she used that power and the power from the orb to transform the manor house. The Promethius Orb was created centuries ago by a Fae who fell in love with a mortal. He created the orb so that only a mortal woman could touch it, that any other would be unable to handle it and any fae who touched it would become trapped inside of it. So powerful was the protective power of the item, that only it could destroy itself. Perhaps it was his insurance, that if you were able to enter and decided to touch the orb thinking to render it useless, you would become trapped inside of it. Years passed and the mortal woman aged and died and the Orb was lost to time. No Fae bothered to look for it for obvious reasons. Stark must have stumbled upon it at some point and used some mortal to bring it to his manor. Because Sarah still has ties to her humanity, she was able to touch it and to thus to destroy it. I mentally passed the information on to her and she had the courage and strength to carry though." He could tell by the expression on Jareth's face that he was more confused and hurt than ever.  
  
"It just makes no sense. She would not have been able to absorb the dark majik if she had been human, but she would not have been able to destroy the orb if she were Fae...........and the amount of magic she possessed, it was incredible, more than I have ever been witness to." A long moment passed, and Jareth stared into the fire, the guilt of his love's pain over taking him. "I never should have brought her here." Jareth never took his eyes from the fire, and fought the emotions that were about to over come him. "Xaven, thank you for honesty, I know relating these events could not have been easy. Would you tell Areyne that I need to speak with her?"  
  
"Of course, my Lord." Xaven stood, Jareth remained seated. "If there is anything at all I can do, or my people can do for you and yours, you will let me know?"  
  
Jareth's eyes never left the fire. He did not respond, only nodded, and Xaven took that as his cue to leave the Goblin King to his thoughts, however destitute.  
  
Jareth stood and walked back to the bed where Sarah lay, so small and fragile upon his bed. He took her hand is his and noticed the blackened ring upon her finger. He gently took it off and with a word, it was no more. He replaced it with the band he had crafted for her so long ago, a simple ring with the insignia of his kingdom etched cleanly in to the front. He gently slipped it on to her finger and brushed her lips with his, hoping that she would awaken. But this was not a fairytale, and she did not. He sighed, knowing that the coma was being fed by the magic in the air, and not knowing if she would awaken, not knowing if her magic would prove the stronger. A tear fell from his green eye as he knew what he must do.  
  
"Jareth?" Jareth did not turn to the sound of his friend's voice. Areyne walked up behind him and rested her hand upon his shoulder, "You must stop blaming yourself. There is nothing you could have done."  
  
"I'm taking her back." Jareth said, his voice flat, and barely more than a whisper.  
  
"Jareth, no. You can't, she will remember. We aren't even sure if she is Fae, how can you take her back? She loves you and you love her and....."  
  
Jareth stood and faced Areyne, his eyes silencing her. She knew the pain those eyes held, knew it well. "I am taking her Aboveground. I will cast the same spell upon her that I did years ago and I will make sure to suppress any magic along with those memories. I will take her to her father's home and make her familiy believe that she was in an accident. Outside of the Underground, she should awaken." Areyne's face held a mixture of anger and grief. He was banishing his Chosen and she knew he would never love again. She knew that if Sarah left, his world would fall apart. "Don't look at me like that Areyne, I have made my decision."  
  
"Did you call me in here just to tell me you were sentencing yourself and that woman you love to a life of loneliness and sorrow? Do you want me to feel sorry for you, Jareth?" Areyne was angry but her voice was soft and there were tears in her eyes. "I lived for years believing the man I had chosen was dead because of my actions. How can you turn her away?"  
  
"How will she ever forgive me?" The grief in his voice caused the tears on Areyne's face to fall.  
  
"You are my dearest friend, Jareth." Areyne's voice was quiet but began to build in intensity as she continued, "I love you as I would my own flesh and blood, we are bound as close as family and I say this because I love you." Meeting his cold stare, she spit her next sentence, praying the harshness of her words would awaken him from his self-pity, "You are a coward." Areyne stepped back unconsciously when Jareth's eyes narrowed. Her resolve would not be shaken though and she continued, "You would rather send her away than take the tiniest risk that she would see you as you see yourself, as a failure. She will not see you that way, she loves you. Do you not have enough faith in her to..............  
  
"ENOUGH!" Jareth spat, "Get out now. In fact, why don't you just leave! You don't understand and will never understand!" Jareth advanced on Areyen, and she shrunk back, his voice now dripped loathing as he stared at her. "Leave the Labyrinth. I banish you and yours. You are no longer welcome here." Jareth turned on his heel and returned to Sarah's side. He was angry, hurt, and shocked that his friend had turned on him, more shocked that she was right. Areyne turned and stepped out the door, closing it gently behind her, she knew he would be angry with her, but she had not expected him to ask her to leave. She would give him space and hope that in time, he would realize that Sarah loved him and realize that she had only meant to help. She would not abandom him to his sorrow and emptiness, but only he could make the decision to return to her and return to Sarah. She turned and laid her forhead on the door she had just closed "Be with him, Sarah. Bring him back to us." Areyne walked slowly down the hall, tears falling from her eyes, staining her cheeks and gown.  
  
Inside the darkeness, Jareth stared at his sleeping Chosen. "I never should have brought you here. I am so sorry, my Angel. I will take you home now, my love, and never again will you feel the pain of this place. I love you, Sarah." And the two were gone, with the promise that only one would return.  
  



	17. Coming Home

Don't own it – never will.  
  
Hope you like.  
  
XVII: Coming Home  
  
"Sarah, do you remember anything?" Sarah's father had been asking her the same question for the past three days. She had awakened, stiff and sore, in a bed in the spare bedroom/office (which used to be her bedroom) in her father's and Karen's house.  
  
"Nothing, Daddy, sorry." Came her reply. Sarah was exhausted. She had done nothing but drift in and out of sleep for the past seventy-two hours, and her dreams were vivid. She awoke only and hour or two after falling asleep, always to the same sensation of being trapped, hurt, then safe, then abandoned. The dreams were so real. All she could remember was the feeling of being emptied of all of her energy and then the feeling of utter abandonment. She fought every time she awoke, strained to remember anything, but she was so weak, she usually just drifted back into sleep, only to awaken again in a sweat, pleading for him not to leave her.  
  
"Well, I am sure you will in time, princess." Her father kissed her head. "You should try and get out of the house today and go for a walk. Toby can go with you, you know, just to keep an eye on his big sister." Sarah smiled, she missed Toby and was glad to see Karen hadn't corrupted his young mind with tales of his evil sister. Her father left and Sarah climbed out of bed. She immediately wished she hadn't when Karen walked in.  
  
Her sickly sweet voice and forced kindness made Sarah nauseous. "I bought some clothes for you to change into, seeing as how you didn't bring any from school. So," Karen took a seat at the edge of the bed and handed Sarah a plastic department store bag.  
  
"Thank you," Sarah replied. She took the bag and set it down. The guest bedroomoffice/Sarah's old bedroom was now adjoined with a bathroom and Sarah stepped inside and turned on the faucet, hoping that Karen would take the hint and just leave her be.  
  
"So when do you think you will be heading back? The hospital released you in to your father's, um, our care and the doctor thought that as soon as you were up and moving, that you could return to your normal events. I mean, really, school shouldn't cause you so much stress, if you don't think you can handle New York, then perhaps a community college would better suit you, one out of state of course...."  
  
"Karen," Sarah stopped her, the feeling of total emptiness welling up inside her once again, "I will be leaving by the end of the week. Dad said that my roommate found me passed out and couldn't wake me, that it must have been some kind of panic attack or stress attack or something. I have some meds, and I will be back at school soon enough." Sarah turned back to the sink and began to wash her face.  
  
"Now Sarah," Karen began, her voice patronizing, "that is hardly what I meant. You know you are welcome to stay here with your father as long as you like. I simply wanted to know when you thought you would feel better."  
  
You simply wanted to know when I would be out of your precious, perfect, life, Sarah thought.  
  
"Now, I suggest you clean up, put on the clothes Toby and I picked out for you and get some fresh air. The sooner you are up and moving the sooner you will feel better." Karen forced a smile, and began to turn, when she noticed Sarah's left hand and the ring on it. "You know dear, I am glad to see you have begun to develop a little taste in jewelry, but your left ring finger is intended for a wedding ring, not something you picked up at a flea market." Karen shook her head and left.  
  
Sarah felt nothing at the woman's stabbing remarks and bitter words. She felt nothing when her father had kissed her head, and felt nothing at the thought of going for a walk or returning to school. She didn't remember being stressed out about school or feeling ill or anything at all. She didn't remember anything aside from having a little too much to drink, and a storm, and eyes.......Sarah shook her head, closed the bathroom door and drew a hot bath. She laid herself in the steaming water and closed her eyes, drifting again to that place between waking and sleep. She smiled to herself as she imagined a little creature poking its head into her bathing room asking if she was alright, her subconscious mind recreating events. And then a man, a man that frightened her with violet eyes, peering at her through the water, striking her, hurting her......Sarah bolted upright in the bath. The water had gone cold, but she looked at the clock over the door and not ten minutes had passed. She finished bathing and hopped out, her heart still racing and the violet eyes etched into her mind's eye. She wouldn't forget them.  
  
She opened the door into the bedroom and rifled through the clothes that Karen had purchased for her. Two pairs of straight legged jeans that were both too big and would hang around her hips, a pair of sneakers on clearance, a bra, leopard print, and a couple of black tees, surprisingly the right size. Sarah rolled her eyes, she knew Karen had gone out of her way to purchase things for her that were wrong, but did it in such a way that seemed like a kind gesture. She slipped into the jeans and shirt, brushed her dark hair, and popped on her sneakers, all the while the violet eyes staring back at her from inside. She opened the door, and dizziness nearly overtook her, but she steadied herself, she needed to think, and somehow she knew those eyes were important, that those eyes would open the door to her memories. She walked down the stairs and out the door, to the park. She always thought better in the park.  
  
Sarah reached the bottom of the stairs and was greeted by one very excited Toby, "SARAH! Where you goin'? Your pants are too big!"  
  
Sarah couldn't help but smile, she loved Toby so much, would do anything for him. She would turn the world upside down to get to him if anything ever happened......Sarah furrowed her brow, something inside of her was trying to push its way to the surface, trying to let her remember. "Yeah, they are aren't they?" Sarah said, just loud enough for Karen to hear it. "I'm going for a walk, big guy, probably down to the park. You in?"  
  
"Can I go dad?" Toby asked, pleading with his hands.  
  
"Toby, your sister might want to be alone. She is just getting her feet back on the ground...." Karen began.  
  
"I don't mind at all," Sarah was quick to cut her off.  
  
"Pleeeeease dad?" Toby begged.  
  
"If Sarah says it's okay, then it's okay by me, kiddo. Just be careful."  
  
Toby raced to his sister's side and took her hand. Sarah smiled at Karen and her father and she and Toby walked to the door.  
  
"Toby, didn't you want to help me make cookies?"  
  
"Later mom!" Toby said, "I gotta take care of Sarah first!" His impish smile made Sarah beam all the more.  
  
"See you guys later!" Sarah called over her shoulder, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Karen glaring at her back and her sweet father, oblivious to it all.  
  
Sarah sat on a bench, looking out over the small pond and watching her brother fight imaginary battles with demons and goblins and anything else his imagination could dream up. Sarah knew she should have been gloating over the victory over Karen, but she felt nothing, knew that she should be loving every moment of spending time with her brother, but nothing. She sighed. The violet eyes were still staring at her, frightening her. She focused on them, losing herself in their thought, but never taking her eyes from Toby. She knew the eyes were a man's, but she couldn't remember ever meeting a man with violet eyes. Her thoughts grew deeper and deeper as she stared out over the water. The eyes changed, and so did how she felt. They shifted from violet to blue and green, staring back at her with love and sadness, and then they faded from her, and she was again filled with the emptiness. So deep were her thoughts that she didn't notice for a long time that there was a woman sitting beside her.  
  
"It is lovely out here," Sarah jumped, the woman's soft voice shaking her from her thoughts, "it reminds me of home. I can see why this is where you come to feel closer to it." The woman struck Sarah as somehow familiar. She was delicate and her long dark hair rested in a single braid the traced all the way down to her waist.  
  
"Ex...excuse me?" was all Sarah could stutter. This woman was beautiful and so familiar and her features hid a strength that Sarah could feel. "I'm sorry to be rude, miss, but I would really like to be alone." Sarah turned and stared back over the water. For some reason, this woman being here made her even more sad, feel even more lost.  
  
"So would he, or so he thinks. But he doesn't, you know. Sometimes love just needs to be reminded that it's there." Sarah turned back to the woman, whose eyes welled with tears, matching Sarah's own. The woman took Sarah's hand and traced the ring with her finger. It glowed slightly, a soft blue. "Sometimes magic needs to be reminded too." And she was gone. Sarah jumped up from the bench as Toby came running up panting. "Who was you talking to?"  
  
"Um, a uh, a friend. I think." Sarah stammered. She looked up at the clock, it was later than she had thought – 3:13, which struck her for some reason as odd.  
  
"You don't know if you're friends with her or not? That's weird." Sarah laughed, reasoning that the woman must have just left and she must have blacked out for a bit and that was why she didn't remember her leaving or so much time passing. "I'm hungry! Can we go get something?"  
  
"We should probably head back, hon I'm feeling a little tired."  
  
"Okay! Mom'll make us something!"  
  
"Probably with striknine." Sarah grumbled under her breath.  
  
"What's chickenlime?" Toby asked, his nose crinkling up.  
  
Sarah just laughed, and had she looked down, she would have seen the ring still faintly glowing blue.  
  
Sarah awoke from her dream, sitting straight up in bed, sweat pouring off of her. The same dream, only this time, she felt everything, the pain, the love, the emptiness, as if it was happening to her. She was drenched in sweat and shivering cold. She looked at the clock, 7:30. She was probably late for dinner and Karen most likely didn't make extra. She pulled on the clean t-shirt and nearly passed out. Her head was spinning with images of crystals and goblins, of dancing and swirling colors, of a garden path, of confessions of love, and of a library where she lay in a man's arms. When she tried to focus on his face, the dizziness overtook her and she nearly fell to the floor. The only thing that brought her to her senses was a quiet knock at her door and the soft voice of Toby. "Sarah? You awake?" Sarah shakily got to her feet, the images temporarily forgotten. "Yeah, Toby, I'm here."  
  
"You okay?" A very concerned Toby asked as he walked in and sat beside his sister on the floor.  
  
"Yeah, kiddo, I'm fine." The truth was that Sarah was exhausted. More tired than she would ever admit, and so empty inside. The only time she felt alive anymore was when she was dreaming. The violet eyes from earlier had been replaced by mismatched ones and they bored through to her very heart, aching with sadness.  
  
"Mom got dinner from some Mexican place, you should come down and have some." A worried little Toby said as he stood up to leave. "Sarah?" His voice was very soft.  
  
"What is it kid?" Sarah asked, her weakness coming through in her voice.  
  
"You aren't gonna leave me again are you?"  
  
"I have to go back to school hon. But I won't ever leave you."  
  
"Are you gonna go be with Jareth?" Sarah's ring glowed softly.  
  
Sarah's heart stopped. That single word opened the flood gate that was holding her memories back and image after imaged stormed through her mind's eye. Magic flooded her senses and an intense feeling of power and strength flowed through her very blood. Her head pounded against the onslaught of memories, but she welcomed the pain, for it brought with it the strength that had been taken from her. The emptiness was gone. All that remained in its place was the pain and hurt of his abandoning her. Why, after moving mountains to find her, had he returned her to this Aboveground nightmare?  
  
"Toby," Sarah began, her voice strong and clear, the dark circles under her eyes gone, the memories and magic flooded through her. Jareth's spell had been broken with the uttering of his name "where did you hear that name?" She was kneeling now in front of him, at eye level.  
  
"A man told me to ask you about him. He was so cool Sarah – he had all these pictures his skin, and he had a shaved head, and he was talking to me when you were talking to that lady in the park. He gave me this too!" Toby pulled the chain from under his shirt, it had a blue stone charm on it. "He said no matter where you go, even if you go to be with that guy Jareth, I can always talk to you though this!" Toby sat staring deeply into the stone, mesmerized by it.  
  
"Toby," Sarah said quietly, staring at him and softly smiling, tears playing at the edges of her eyes. She kissed his forehead softly and stood up, "I have to take off for a bit, kiddo. I will talk with you soon though, I promise. Keep the necklace close to your heart always."  
  
"But where are you going?" Toby asked, panic rising in his voice, he didn't want his sister to leave again.  
  
"I just have to get some answers. I will talk to you tomorrow though, promise. Okay?"  
  
Toby frowned, but a twinkle lit up his eyes at Sarah's request, "Don't tell Daddy or Karen where I went, okay? It will be our secret, and they are gonna pretend like I was never here, got it?" Toby winked at his sister and headed for the door. He stopped just short and turned around and rand headlong back to his sister wrapping her legs in a bear-hug.  
  
"Promise you will be back soon?"  
  
Sarah got down on her knees and looked her kid brother in the eyes, "Toby, I would reorder time for you. I would fight through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered to be with you. Never forget that." She hugged her brother and sent him on his way.  
  
Standing to her full height, the smile that had just played on her lips melted. With a thought and simple wave of her hand, she was dressed in black pants and black riding boots with a blue corset over a long sheer black shirt and leather gloves. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she called forth a crystal, sadness, confusion, strength and anger radiated from her form. But it was only sadness that darkened her eyes. She closed them softly, letting tears fall down her pale cheeks. "I need to know why you sent me away." And she was gone from the room, with only a small dusting of blue glitter to mark that she had ever stood there.  
  



	18. Undone

Don't have any ownership of Labyrinth.  
  
Let me know if you guys would like a more....intimate ending than the one provided. If I do not hear a resounding cry for it, consider it the last chapter.  
  
XVIII: Undone  
  
Sarah stood on the hill overlooking the Labyrinth, where she had stood when she had first taken up the challenge. It looked different now, as if it had forgotten how to be a Labyrinth. The walls seemed dark and foreboding as if something dark had taken over. She walked down towards the entrance and placed a hand on the wall.  
  
"Hey hey hey!!!" Came a rough and familiar voice. Sarah smiled, all too familiar. "I knows dat this place may looks like it be out of order and straight for the takin, but it aint for anyone to be comin in or goin out! Jareth, he ordered no one in and no one out and that means you. He's in mournin' and aint seeing nobody or nothin' so youse can jus turn your body around and....... Sarah?" Sarah turned to stare at Hoggle. The anger she had felt at Jareth's abandonment of her melted as she looked at the state of the Labyrinth and heard the words of her dear friend.  
  
"Mourning?" Sarah asked, her voice shaking. "Mourning for what, Hoggle?"  
  
"Sarah..." Hoggle's voice was almost a whisper. "You came back." The little dwarf stared at her in utter amazement, as if she was a figment of his imagination. "Jareth said dat he...dat he....dat you was too sick to be here....dat we's, dat dis place, dat HE killed you." Hoggle was biting his lip hard, fighting back tears he hadn't shed since the news that his Sarah had died. Relief and confusion muddled his features and he ran headlong to her, hugging her leg.  
  
"Hoggle, I don't understand." Sarah said, "I'm not dead, was never dead. Jareth didn't do anything to me, he just..."  
  
Hoggle stepped back and looked Sarah up and down, "It don't make no sense. Jareth came out here days ago and makes this big announcement to everyone and says that the Labyrinth is closed, dat all exits and entrances are to be blocked, dat his Chosen has passed a'cause of what he done and did and he will admit nobodys, no nothins, not friend, not enemy. Then he goes into the castle and closes the doors an not nobody seen him sinse. We all was figurin' a'cause he loved you so much dat Stark was da one that done taken you aways from us, not Jareth, but dat he blamed hisself for it."  
  
Sarah stared at Hoggle, "He doesn't love me anymore, Hoggle. Jareth sent me away. I didn't "pass", he just abandoned me back on Earth." There was a lump in her voice and she was shaking. The only reason her mind could fathom that he had abandoned her, was that she was not fit to be his chosen after what he had seen in Stark's manor. The thought pulled at her heart and angered her as much as it caused her to want to fall to her knees in tears. Couldn't he understand that what she did was all for him? All to escape? All of it, just to be beside Jareth....  
  
"Now I know you don't believe that, a'cause I don't believe that. I'll show you." Hoggle took Sarah's hand and the two entered the Labyrinth. The walls were covered in blackened moss and the entire place reeked of rotting plants and decay. Some of the walls were crumbling and the life that once abounded on the walls and underfoot was nowhere to be seen. Everything seemed to encompass a sense of remorse and depression. They walked in silence for what seemed like twenty minutes, Hoggle leading Sarah with a defined purpose, moving partially fallen walls and shooing lethargic creatures in his path. Hoggle broke the silence after rounding a corner into what seemed to Sarah to be the most incredible part of the Labyrinth she had ever seen, and so far removed from the murk of the rest of the Labyrinth. The walls were an iridescent marble and light blue and deep red flowers hung from the most green vines Sarah had ever seen. Small faeries floated by and tended to each of the flowers and the each of the corridors seemed alive with love and beauty. Each corner proved more and more beautiful, "A few days after you left the first time, he comes back and tells me that I am the new caretaker of the Labyrinth and he done tell me to make this place," As the two rounded the corner, Sarah gasped. The grove was astonishing, a perfectly pristine cove. In the center, on a raised dias, were two statues, holding hands facing one another, gazing into one another's eyes, a look of the deepest passion carved into the faces. One was of Jareth in all of his regal splendor, the other was her, dressed as queen in a long flowing gown and a simple circlet adorning her head, its center matched the crest he wore around his neck. Both looked as regal as her imagination could have conjured. Sarah's knees were weak, and she felt her heart tear again. Hoggle led her to a bench and stood in front of her, his wrinkled face showing that he was confused and concerned for her. "It's the only place in the Labyrinth he hasn't touched. The only place in his heart, too."  
  
With tears brimming in her eyes, Sarah looked at Hoggle and whispered, "What do you mean?"  
  
"The Labyrinth reflects its King's deepest feelings. The Labyrinth is dying everywhere and mimicking his sorrow a'cause Jareth is mourning so much for you. Here, this place, I figure it's kinda like his soul. His love for you must still be strong and bright, otherwise this place would have crumbled and gone dark too."  
  
Sarah shook her head "This is a monument to what he thought I was, not what he thinks I am. I can't explain Hoggle, but he left me up above because I am not this," she cried, gesturing to the stature. "I have to see him." Anger and hurt replaced her awe and sadness. The only explanation she had in her mind was that he saw her as Stark's whore and was therefore unfit to be his Chosen, that is why he abandoned her, that is why he didn't fight for her when she had passed out. Steeling herself, she stood. "Thank you, Hoggle. I have to go, but I promise to see you again before I leave. I will meet you here. Tell the others, if you can find them, that I miss them and love them. I need to hear from his lips, that he doesn't want me." She kissed the top of his head and then was gone.  
  
Hoggle sat confused and disheartened on the bench and kicked a faerie as is floated by. "Aw hell." He muttered.  
  
Jareth sat on his throne staring into the murky nothing. All of the goblins had been banished from the castle, and the walls themselves seemed as though they would crumble with the slightest breath. Two dark shadows hung over each of his shoulders. One looked as though it could have been Sarah's Shadow, whispering in his ear. The other hung over his head. The room was dimly it and the once proud King of the Goblins looked as if he had been cast into an oubliette and forgotten. He neither moved nor spoke as the Sarah Shadow moved out from his side to take shape in front of him of his Chosen. Clad in flowing white gowns of gossamer, the Shadow was radient to Jareth's eyes. He had created her to wear the gown that the real Sarah would have worn upon their Joining, Jareth sat up and reached to touch her, the creature laughed, just as Jareth had heard Sarah laugh, moving just out of his grasp. He sank down into his throne once again, sinking deeper into his despair each time. He watched his Sarah Shadow with detailed attention while the other shadow whispered his failures into his ear. This was a private hell that Jareth had created for himself to constantly remind him of his failure into eternity. The dancing Sarah Shadow, so beautiful and refined, always out of his reach, and his Conscience Shadow, reminding every moment how he had failed the woman he loved, left her in the hands of Stark, and nearly killed her. All he could do was stare at Sarah, his lost Sarah, and remember how he had failed her. Time and again the Sarah Shadow danced within his grasp, an exact replica created from his memories, and time and again she turned her back to him and danced away. So perfect was his grief, that he didn't notice the small white falcon sitting in his window watching, nor did he notice when it flew into his chamber and landed behind his throne.  
  
Sarah had watched the dancing shadow transform before her eyes into her dancing twin, dancing and swaying and laughing to unheard music, and always smiling. To Sarah, it was all the more justification that he had once loved her, that she had somehow become stained in his eyes, and now, only some creation from his mind could take her place. Time and again she replayed the events in Stark's manor and time and again she came to the same conclusion, she had not betrayed him. She thought to herself of explaining to him what had happened, of pleading with Jareth to see her side, but felt he never could. She would not disgrace herself by groveling for his forgiveness. But a part of her had to hear the words from his lips, had to hear him say he didn't love her, needed to see the words form from his heart. A part of her still wanted desperately to believe that he would reorder time for her, that he would move the stars for her, that he loved her. In her mind, though, it made no sense. If he loved her, why did he abandon her back on earth, once again stealing her memories? Sarah knew what had to be done, and she steeled herself against the upcoming emotional battle before her. She silently flew into the room, landing quietly behind the throne and waited for the shadow to dance behind the throne and towards her. She banished it, leaving the other one, with quick spell and took its place, and with a thought, she was clad in the flowing white gown and her hair played loosely about her shoulders. She danced from behind the throne and stopped in front of Jareth.  
  
Even in this state of despair he was regal. Sarah's heart cried out for her to run to him, to comfort him, he looked as though the world had ended. His features were taught and his face more pale than usual. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, eyes that once held a cunning and intelligence, but were now dull. His hair laid unkempt upon his shoulders, and even his dress was dull and little care had been taken its choosing. He looked up at her, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"Are you waiting for my command shadow?" Jareth asked, his voice soft and barely audible. Sarah nodded, doing her best to impersonate the shadow. "Then I command you to tell me you love me, that you forgive me, and that you will never leave me." Jareth's voice trailed off towards the end of his sentence and he rested his head in his hand, shoulders slumping, as the Conscience Shadow whispered that she could never love him, nor forgive him, and that he had lost her because of his failures. Before Sarah could open her mouth to meet his command Jareth spoke again, "Sarah," he half laughed, more of a cough, "I know you are not my real Sarah, but I beg you to forgive me, please," he raised his head and looked at Sarah, still believing her to be his Shadow creation, and too consumed with grief to see that it was not, "I tried to spare you from Stark's prison, but I was too late. I couldn't save you the pain he inflicted, and I couldn't wake you from your sleep, I tried, and if I went to you now, you would not even recall my name." He paused, and shaking with anger continued, "You MUST BELIVE ME THAT I TRIED!" Jareth stood on those words, throwing his head back and shouting to the nothingness above him, "I TRIED!" And sinking to the floor he continued, "I tried and failed you. And now I have lost you forever. How could you even look at me, knowing that I couldn't save you. I cannot even look at myself. I don't know why you wouldn't awaken, I only hope you are safe and happy now, removed from me and this place." Sighing and lowering his head again, the Conscience Shadow once more taking its place on his shoulder whispering his failures, Jareth sank deeper into his hell and whispered, "I love you my Chosen. I am so sorry."  
  
Sarah stood in stunned silence, tears pouring down her cheeks. She had always known Jareth to be proud and strong, it never occurred to her that he would consider himself a failure, the very thought seemed absurd. His admission of love and his request for forgiveness had been too much, and her emotions overcame her. She walked shakily towards him and banished the Shadow on his shoulder. She sat beside the King of Goblins and stared at him, until he looked into her eyes. He never faltered in his gaze only stared at her, wondering how his Shadow could cry. So immersed was Jareth in his grief and confusion, the he did not even notice that he and Sarah were no longer in the castle, that they now sat at the base of the statues in the soul grotto. Jareth looked around and realization flooded his senses. He slowly inched back from Sarah, his grief stricken expression, replaced by confused concern and hope.  
  
"There is nothing to forgive." Sarah began, her voice cracking and tears still falling, but her eyes never leaving his. "I love you, Jareth, I always have, even before I knew it in my mind, I knew it in my heart. Nothing can change that, and nothing ever will." She took a breath to steady herself for what she was about to say, "I, I thought you banished me. I thought that because of what I did, what happened with Stark, when I was trying to escape, I thought you thought me unfit to be yours. I thought you abandoned me. I should have known that you never would have. I should have had more faith, I should have...." Sarah was stopped short as Jareth's lips encompassed hers, his hands cupping her chin and his body moving desperately to meet hers. She met his assault with a hunger of her own, her body starving for his touch. Slowly, Jareth pulled back, his eyes questioning.  
  
"How can you be here? This place was killing you. The magic in the air seemed to feed the sleep that had overtaken you. I took you back so you could heal. I tore you away from my side and I made sure you wouldn't remember this place."  
  
"This place wasn't killing me. When I was imprisoned by Stark, my mother came to me. She passed on to me all that she was, her magic and her essence. She made me whole, made me Fae. My body needed time to take over those changes, to fully assimilate all of the magic, I think. I had to use it to escape Stark, and it drained me. I would have awakened in the same time and in the same manner had I remained. I was healing and becoming what I am now." Sarah's explanation left Jareth's head spinning.  
  
"You are Fae?"  
  
"I was always half Fae. But my mother, she somehow gave me her magic, made me more complete, made me Fae."  
  
Jareth smirked, and quietly laughed, "I suppose that is how you were able to come back here so quickly?"  
  
Sarah nodded, never taking her eyes from his. "I thought you hated me, I thought because of Stark....I thought...."  
  
"Shhhhh, enough of that. I loved you all the more because of the strength you used to fight Stark. Sarah," Jareth began, kissing both of her hands as he held them close, "I love you. I will love for as long as I live. I am asking you now, to stay here, with me. To stay beside me. To be my Chosen. You are half of my soul, and all of my life. I bare my heart to you now, and beg you to take me as your Chosen."  
  
"You've always been my Chosen One." Sarah replied, staring deep into his eyes.  
  
"Aw hell, I suppose now they are gonna kiss or something disgusting like that!" Hoggle grumbled.  
  
"Shhhhhhh, stop it, Hoggle!" Aeryne put her hand over his mouth, but it was too late, as giggles had broken out throughout the small gathering that had formed to witness the King profess his love. Jareth and Sarah turned to be greeted with warm smiles from Aeryne and Xaven as well as Hoggle, and several faeries.  
  
"And I suppose I have you to thank for this, dear friend, for bringing my Sarah home to me." Jareth asked, turning to face the smirking Aeryne.  
  
"Her magic just needed to remember where home was. As my dear friend William once said, 'The course of true love never did run smooth.' I was simply making sure you, both of you, knew that."  
  
"Thank you," Sarah said, embracing her friend.  
  
"Thank you, Sarah, for bringing the Labyrinth back to life. The instant he saw you, the Labyrinth was restored."  
  
Jareth and Sarah turned and looked at eachother, silently vowing their love.  
  
"And now," Aeryne interrupted, taking Sarah's hand "Sarah and I need to discuss your Joining ceremony. I assume you want it to happen as quickly as possible? We need to plan a dress, and the invitation list, and....."  
  
"There are other things that need to be attended to first," Jareth said. And in an instant, Sarah and Jareth had disappeared. Leaving a mildly irritated Aeryne with only a small cloud of glitter to voice her discontent at.  
  
"That would figure. I knew he wouldn't......" Aeryne began and was summarily cut short with a kiss from Xaven.  
  
"I think Jareth realized that there are a few things more important than planning," and with a devilish smirk, Xaven and Aeryne were gone as well, leaving Hoggle amidst a muddle of giggling faeiries.  
  
"Aw, hell," Hoggle muttered, but even he could not hide the smile and happiness he felt inside knowing that the Labyrinth would soon have a queen.  
  
Alone in Jareth's chambers, the King stared deep into his Chosen's eyes. She met his gaze with all of her heart, knowing that the world she had always longed for, and the man she had always desired, were hers, and nothing would ever separate them again. No apologies or words were spoken between the two, they simply shared a kiss, there alone together in the King of the Goblin's chamber. A kiss that spoke more than the love of a thousand life times, a kiss that promised an eternity of love by one anothers side, a kiss that spoke of untold pleasures, and a promise for the future. 


End file.
